My grandmother used to do that

Square #16 - Sayid Jarrah

2010-10-09T20:01:00.000-07:00

Lostghan Square #16 – Sayid Jarrah
I did this one in a royal purple. The edges of the #16 are rounded off a bit. Sayid doesn’t stay on the straight and narrow, so his number is not squared off like Locke’s.

Gauge – 28 stitches = 6 inches, 36 rows = 6 inches (or 6 rows/inch).

Cast on 28 stitches – use a loose cast-on so the square stays flat. I used the cable cast-on.
R1 and R3 *K4, P4 * repeat from * across, end with K4.
R2 and R4 *P4, K4 * repeat from * across, end with P4.
R5 P4, K20, P4.
R6 K4, P20, K4.
R7 P4, K2, P3, K1, P3, K11, P4.
R8 K4, P13, K1, P3, K1, P2, K4.
R9 K6, P1, K3, P3, K15.
R10 P15, K1, P5, K1, P6.
R11 K6, P1, K3, P3, K15.
R12 P across.
R13 P4, K20, P4.
R14 K4, P20, K4.
R15 P4, K4, P5, K3, P4, K4, P4.
R16 K4, P4, K4, P2, K7, P3, K4.
R17 K7, P2, K3, P2, K3, P2, K9.
R18 P7, K2, P3, K2, P3, K2, P9.
R19 K7, P2, K3, P2, K3, P2, K9
R20 P7, K2, P3, K2, P3, K2, P9
R21 P4, K3, P2, K3, P2, K3, P2, K5, P4.
R22 K4, P5, K2, P3, K7, P3, K4.
R23 P4, K4, P6, K3, P2, K5, P4.
R24 K4, P5, K2, P3, K2, P8, K4.
R25 K12, P2, K3, P2, K9.
R26 P9, K2, P3, K2, P12.
R27 K12, P2, K3, P2, K9.
R28 P9, K2, P3, K2, P12.
R29 P4, K3, P7, K3, P4, K3, P4.
R30 K4, P4, K3, P4, K5, P4, K4.
R31 P4, K20, P4.
R32 K4, P20, K4
R33 *K4, P4 * repeat from * across, end with K4.
R34 *P4, K4 * repeat from * across, end with P4.
R35 *K4, P4 * repeat from * across, end with K4.
R36 *P4, K4 * repeat from * across, end with P4.
Cast off loosely. I use: K2 tog tbl then place stitch back on left needle and repeat. It creates a loose bind off that looks nice as a flat piece.

Lostghan Square #42 - Kwok

2010-10-08T15:18:00.000-07:00

Lostghan Square #42 – Kwok

I did this one in light green as that’s the color I see when I think of Jin and Sun. After all, Sun was the gardener. Since it was never specified which one was the candidate (maybe both?), I put their last name instead of their initials. The side borders are only 3 stitches wide in order to fit the name.

Cast on 28 stitches

R1 *K4, P4* repeat across, end with K4
R2 *P4, K4* repeat across, end with P4
R3 *K4, P4* repeat across, end with K4
R4 *P4, K4* repeat across, end with P4
R5 P3, K22, P3
R6 K3, P22, K3
R7 K5, P1, K2, P1, K1, P3, K1, P5, K1, P1, K2, P1, K4
R8 P4, K1, P1, K1, P2, *K1, P1* repeat from * to * 5 more times, K1, P6
R9 P3, K4, P2, *K1, P1* repeat from * to * 4 more times, K3, P2, K1, P3
R10 K3, P1, K1, P1, K1, P2, K1, P3, *K1, P1* repeat from * to * 4 more times P2, K3
R11 K5, P1, K2, P1, K1, P3, K1, P1, K3, P1, K1, P1, K2, P1, K4
R12 P28
R13 P3, K22, P3
R14 K3, P22, K3
R15 K6, P7, K4, P2, K9
R16 P9, K2, P4, K7, P6
R17 P3, K8, P2, K4, P2, K6, P3
R18 K3, P6, K2, P4, K2, P8, K3
R19 P3, K7, P2, K5, P2, K6, P3
R20 K3, P6, K2, P5, K2, P7, K3
R21 K9, P2, K4, P7, K6
R22 P6, K7, P4, K2, P9
R23 P3, K5, P2, K7, P2, K1, P2, K3, P3
R24 K3, P3, K2, P1, K2, P7, K2, P5, K3
R25 K7, P2, K8, P2, K1, P2, K6
R26 P6, K2, P11, K2, P7
R27 P3, K3, P2, K12, P2, K3, P3
R28 K3, P3, K2, P7, K2, P3, K2, P3, K3
R29 K6, P7, K7, P2, K6
R30 P6, K2, P7, K7, P6
R31 P3, K22, P3
R32 K3, P22, K3
R33 *K4, P4* repeat across, end with K4
R34 *P4, K4* repeat across, end with P4
R35 *K4, P4* repeat across, end with K4
R36 *P4, K4* repeat across, end with P4
Bind off loosely.

Lostghan numbers - patterns for afghan squares

2010-10-06T20:42:00.000-07:00

I really liked the show 'LOST'. So, when someone on Ravelry suggested a Lostghan I volunteered to do some patterns for the numbers. I was bad and didn't turn them all in on time, so I'm now going to post them here and link from Ravelry to here, so if people want to make them they can. I'll also try to put pictures up on Flickr as well.

Lostghan Squares. Note: the texture is subtle. If you want it to stand out more, you can embroider a border around the key parts, or duplicate stitch over them.

#4 – John Locke. I made this with blue yarn because I felt it represented Locke best. It incorporates a few 4’s and the initials J L. I made the 4 with all straight lines – I view Locke as a very straight arrow person.

Guage – 28 stitches = 6 inches, 36 rows = 6 inches (or 6 rows/inch).

Cast on 28 stitches – use a loose cast-on so the square stays flat. I used the cable cast-on.
R1 and R3 *K4, P4 * repeat from * across, end with K4.
R2 and R4 *P4, K4 * repeat from * across, end with P4.
R5 P4, K20, P4.
R6 K4, P20, K4.
R7 P4, K2, P3, K1, P3, K11, P4.
R8 K4, P13, K1, P1, K1, P4, K4.
R9 K8, P1, K1, P1, K17..
R10 P17, K1, P1, K1, P8.
R11 K across.
R12 P across.
R13 P4, K20, P4.
R14 K4, P20, K4.
R15 P4, K11, P2, K7, P4.
R16 K4, P7, K2, P11, K4.
R17 K15, P2, K11.
R18 P11, K2, P15.
R19 K11, P11, K6.
R20 P6, K11, P11.
R21 P4, K11, P2, K3, P2, K2, P4.
R22 K4, P2, K2, P3, K2, P11, K4.
R23 P4, K11, P2, K3, P2, K2, P4.
R24 K4, P2, K2, P3, K2, P11, K4.
R25 K15, P2, K3, P2, K6.
R26 P6, K2, P20.
R27 K20, P2, K6.
R28 P6, K2, P20.
R29 P4, K16, P2, K2, P4.
R30 K4, P20, K4.
R31 P4, K20, P4.
R32 K4, P20, K4
R33 *K4, P4 * repeat from * across, end with K4.
R34 *P4, K4 * repeat from * across, end with P4.
R35 *K4, P4 * repeat from * across, end with K4.
R36 *P4, K4 * repeat from * across, end with P4.
Cast off loosely. I use: K2 tog tbl then place stitch back on left needle and repeat. It creates a loose bind off that looks nice as a flat piece.

#8 – Hugo Reyes (Hurley).

I made this one with yellow yarn – to remind me of Hurley’s chicken restaurant. The 8 is round like Hurley.

Cast on 28 stitches loosely.
R1 K2, P8, K8, P8, K2
R2 P2, K8, P8, K8, P2
R3 K2, P8, K8, P8, K2
R4 P2, K8, P8, K8, P2
R5 P4, K20, P4
R6 K4, P20, K4
R7 K6, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K15
R8 P15, K1, P1, K1, P1, K2, P7
R9 K6, P3, K1, P3, K15
R10 P15, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P6
R11 K6, P3, K1, P1, K1, P1, K15
R12 P28
R13 K14, P6, K8
R14 P7, K8, P13
R15 P4, K8, P2, K6, P2, K2, P4
R16 K4, P2, K2, P6, K2, P8, K4
R17 P4, K8, P2, K6, P2, K2, P4
R18 K4, P2, K2, P6, K2, P8, K4
R19 P4, K8, P2, K6, P2, K2, P4
R20 K4, P3, K2, P4, K2, P9, K4
R21 P4, K10, P6, K4, P4
R22 K4, P4, K6, P10, K4
R23 K13, P2, K4, P2, K7
R24 P6, K2, P6, K2, P12
R25 K12, P2, K6, P2, K6
R26 P6, K2, P6, K2, P12
R27 K12, P2, K6, P2, K6
R28 P6, K2, P6, K2, P12
R29 K13, P8, K7
R30 P8, K6, P14
R31 P4, K20, P4
R32 K4, P20, K4
R33 K2, P8, K8, P8, K2
R34 P2, K8, P8, K8, P2
R35 K2, P8, K8, P8, K2
R36 P2, K8, P8, K8, P2
Bind off loosely.

Lost Afghan Square - #15

#15 is James Ford aka Sawyer – our most favorite con man. Doesn’t he look good without his shirt? I laughed when he emerged from the surf (Season Five) without his shirt. He was wearing it when he jumped into the ocean. What happened? Did a shark rip it off him? His number doesn’t have nice straight edges because he’s not one to follow the lines. The 5 looks a little like an S. Baby blue, just because.

Cast on 27. (Yes, most of the other squares are 28, Sawyer has to be different ☺)

R1 K5, P1, K5, P5, K5, P1, K5
R2 P5, K1, P5, K5, P5, K1, P5
R3 K5, P1, K5, P5, K5, P1, K5
R4 P5, K1, P5, K5, P5, K1, P5
R5 P3, K21, P3
R6 K3, P21, K3
R7 P3, K4, P1, K1, P3, K12, P3
R8 K3, P14, K1, P1, K1, P4, K3
R9 P3, K3, P2, K1,P1, K14, P3
R10 P17, K1, P1, K1, P7
R11 K5, P3, K1, P1, K17
R12 P27
R13 K27
R14 P27
R15 K27
R16 K3, P5, K4, P4, K3, P5, K3
R17 P3, K4, P5, K4, P2, K6, P3
R18 K3, P6, K2, P7, K2, P4, K3
R19 P3, K4, P2, K7, P2, K6, P3
R20 K3, P6, K2, P7, K2, P4, K3
R21 P3, K4, P4, K5, P2, K6, P3
R22 P9, K2, P4, K4, P8
R23 K10, P2, K4, P2, K9
R24 P9, K2, P4, K2, P10
R25 K10, P2, K4, P2, K9
R26 P9, K2, P4, K2, P10
R27 K10, P2, K4, P2, K9
R28 K3, P4, K4, P4, K5, P4, K3
R29 P3, K5, P3, K5, P3, K5, P3
R30 K3, P21, K3
R31 P3, K21, P3
R32 K3, P21, K3
R33 K5, P1, K5, P5, K5, P1, K5
R34 P5, K1, P5, K5, P5, K1, P5
R35 K5, P1, K5, P5, K5, P1, K5
R36 P5, K1, P5, K5, P5, K1, P5
Bind off loosely

#23 – Jack Shepherd I did this one in a light purple – just because. Lots of 2’s and 3’s in the border.

Cast on 28 stitches loosely
R1 *K3, P2 * repeat across ending with K3
R2 *P3, K2 * repeat across ending with P3
R3 *K3, P2 * repeat across ending with K3
R4 *P3, K2 * repeat across ending with P3
R5 P4, K20, P4
R6 K4, P20, K4
R7 P4, K2, P3, K1, P3, K11, P4
R8 P17, K1, P3, K1, P6
R9 K6, P3, K1, P1, K17
R10 K4, P13, K1, P1, K1, P4, K4
R11 P4, K2, P3, K1, P1, K13, P4
R12 K4, P20, K4
R13 K28
R14 P28
R15 P4, K2, P7, K2, P7, K2, P4
R16 K4, P2, K7, P2, K7, P2, K4
R17 P4, K2, P2, K12, P2, K2, P4
R18 P6, K2, P12, K2, P6
R19 K6, P2, K11, P2, K7
R20 K4, P3, K2, P11, K2, P2, K4
R21 P4, K2, P2, K10, P2, K4, P4
R22 K4, P4, K2, P7, K5, P2, K4
R23 K6, P5, K6, P2, K9
R24 P9, K2, P9, K2, P6
R25 P4, K2, P2, K8, P2, K6, P4
R26 K4, P6, K2, P8, K2, P2, K4
R27 P4, K2, P2, K7, P2, K7, P4
R28 P6, K2, P3, K2, P7, K2, P6
R29 K6, P7, K2, P7, K6
R30 K4, P2, K7, P2, K7, P2, K4
R31 P4, K20, P4
R32 K4, P20, K4
R33 *K3, P2 * repeat across ending with K3
R34 *P3, K2 * repeat across ending with P3
R35 *K3, P2 * repeat across ending with K3
R36 *P3, K2 * repeat across ending with P3
Bind off loosely.

Quidditch is still alive...

2010-01-02T17:30:00.000-08:00

We had a Quidditch picnic potluck and pick-up game today. Started with 7 people - me, Jessica, Renata, Brian, Kim, Mark and Nathan. So, we played three Chasers on each team and Nathan was the keeper using a Beater Bat (made of foam with a wood dowel center) to help him keep. We played about ten minutes and took a break, played another ten minutes, took another break. Nigel showed up at some point. Renata recruited two small girls and their parents to play for the last set. The little girls got the 'cute' break - i.e. we didn't block them, and the keeper didn't keep too hard. :-) We told Nathan he'd lost the 'cute' break - he's 14 now so he can handle it.
We're talking of playing some more games this year and then having a Quidditch World Cup event in November - probably the weekend after the movie comes out. (Movie 11/19, game - probably Sunday, 11/21.
We definitely need to get in shape again. :-)
Fun day, good company.
We're on Facebook - Gold Coast Quidditch League

Visiting family (and yarn stores) in Maine & Vermont

2009-11-15T13:53:00.000-08:00

Hi All,
I’m just back from a 2 week vacation to Maine and Vermont to visit family. We had a good time catching up and visiting. The weather was nice (for that time of year), and the trees were beginning to turn color.
I also got to stop in 5 different yarn stores while there, so I thought I’d spread the word.
Brattleboro, VT (southern end of VT) Not just Yarn - a nice friendly store with a reasonable yarn selection. I stopped in while the Tuesday social group was there - a lively group of knitters. I bought some yarn to make my niece a pair of legwarmers.
Also in Brattleboro, Knit or Dye - a smaller yarn store, smaller selection. I bought a sock book - Favorite Socks.
Nearby Putney, VT is the home of Green Mountain Spinnery. It has a small store in the front of their spinnery selling their products. I didn’t buy anything because of my limited packing space and because I was only looking for sock yarn at that point. It did have some very nice yarn.
In Maine, the Yard Goods store in Waterville, ME is yarn overload for me. They have 2 storefronts with a inside door between them. One side is all fabrics and notions - I don’t shop on that side but they look to have a large selection. The other side is 3/4 yarn and 1/4 rubber stamp/scrapbook stuff. They have a very extensive selection of yarns. One section was all sock yarn, floor to ceiling and baskets on the floor. I bought sock yarn (Heritage by Cascade, Melody by Jojoland) and a very yummy Mulberry Merino by Plymouth Yarn Co. The staff here is very helpful. One year I was looking for baby yarn and didn’t see what I wanted on the shelf so they took me into their basement - yarn in plastic bags on shelves all over the place. I strongly recommend a visit here if you’re in the Maine area.
Then, last but not least - Halcyon Yarns in Bath, ME. This is a large store with yarn, roving, supplies for knitting, weaving, spinning, etc. They have a good selection of yarns including their own label. Due to lack of space in my suitcase, I only bought a skein of sock yarn to make socks for my mother. The store even had a gas burning wood stove - it made the space seem even more pleasant. If I’d been by myself I would have pulled up a chair and started knitting.
So - if you’re planning a trip to the East Coast, here’s a start for yarn stores to visit.
Marie

Yeah - I won three of Anne's patterns. :-)

2009-10-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

Anne is such a generous person. I got a free copy of her Carmen Bolero pattern, plus two others yet to be determined. Now I have to find the right yarn in the Handicraft Cafe http://www.handicraftcafe.com/shop/
In other news:
My part-time, temporary job is over, so I'm taking it easy for the next month. Doing volunteer work (filing mostly) at the local Family Court Services office. I got the volunteer job through a knitting friend.
I'm slowly working on my knitting projects again - scarves, etc.
And spending way too much time on Facebook, Pogo, etc.

Anne's pattern contest - I really like the 'Carmen' pattern

2009-08-12T20:29:00.001-07:00

Anne Kuo-Lukito is going wild with designing patterns. She's giving some away that are slightly stained due to a tea accident. Since I really like free stuff :-), I figured I'd post about her 'Carmen' pattern which I really like. It's a long sleeved bolero with a hood. Here's a link for the pattern in Ravelry - Carmen
and here's a link for the pattern on Anne's home page - Carmen
And yes - I do like to promote Anne's patterns since she's one of my friends.

Life is going well for me. I spent last Thursday at the fair with Renata - she had a deep-fried Twinkie and a deep-fried Oreo, and I ate three deep-fried Oreos. Sooo good! I want more!
I'm currently working part-time (20 hours/week) until the end of September. I'm also volunteering 3 hours a week at the Family Court Services where another friend works. Mostly filing - which is a nice change from tax work. :-)
Marie

Yarn swift, other news

2009-07-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

1) My darling husband made me a yarn swift based on Anne Kuo-Lukito's pattern. Anne's swift
Of course, being an engineer, he made a couple of minor alterations - he used 2 CD's instead of 1, and we used a straw over the bolt to make the swift spin a little smoother. It's already been put to use on one of the huge skeins of yarn from a Newton's Yarn Sale. That's why I wanted one of these swifts. My little umbrella swift (a gift from my mother-in-law who found it at an estate sale) is great for small skeins of yarn. However, the Newton's skeins are abnormally large. This new swift is handling it with ease.
2) I'm spending Sunday at Disneyland since they let me in free on my birthday. I'll be 7! After a certain age, you can be creative with your age. Me - I add the 2 digits of my age together to get my new age.
3) Monday I start a part-time, temporary job - 20 hours/week for 3 months. It's with the company i worked for last year as a temporary. I didn't want to hire on with them due to the commute and the lack of decent restaurants in the area. I have not yet heard the real story of what happened to the person they hired to take on the job. The temporary agency said she'd taken 6 weeks of vacation (funny, she's been there less than 1 year and now is their busy time), the company person said she'd left the country. I'll find out the real story on Monday.
Have a Great Fourth of July!
Marie

WWKIP day - awesome!

2009-06-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

Saturday, June 13th was World-Wide Knit in Public day. So, Renata and I hosted the 2nd annual picnic at El Dorado Park in Long Beach. It was a great day. We got there around 9:30am and set up the tables and pop-ups with help from Jamie and some others whose names I didn't get (sorry, I'm bad at names). We hung the All Things String banner between 2 trees, and our new banner - which has the WWKIP logo and 'All Things String' on it, from one of the pop-ups. We also had 2 folding signs that Renata designed and I helped make - we used them to point the way to our area.
There was a steady stream of people who started showing up - I think we ended up with over 40 people. Lots of goodies on the table. Denise W. brought her delicious cupcakes - I grabbed the first one.
We had a table set up for 'Free' yarn - anything people wanted to give away, and a table for 'Raffle Prizes'. Renata and I took some skeins from the Free table and moved them to the Raffle table - 4 skeins of Koigu, etc. :-) There were lots of goodies on the Free table - I limited myself to one skein of ribbon yarn in a blue/purple color. At the end of the day there was 1 bag of yarn left that will be passed on to Project Linus.
After the lunch, we had the Mystery Pattern Battle - started with 13 contestants, a few dropped out during the game due to wrong-size needles, yarn trouble, etc. The pattern was for a water-bottle cozy. I think most people had fun with it. We also had 2 spinning speed contests - one for wheels, one for drop spindle. And a speed crochet contest. Denise W. won the Mystery Pattern Battle as the first person finished, I called Gwen as the last one standing since we were running out of time and had to start the raffle.
Sabrina (the 13 year-old knitter) was one of the lucky raffle winners - one of the jugglers had a winning ticket and passed it to her. :-) She also won the fiber and lady-bug spindle - another person lured into spinning. :-)
Towards the end of the raffle, Margo arrived with 2 alpacas - Seven and his little sister. They were so cute.
We packed up and were home by 6:30. I spent the next day recovering. :-)
I got to wear my tiara all day, although I should have been wearing either my sun hat or more sunscreen.
Thanks to all who participated, and extra thanks to Jamie and Abraham for all their help, Melyssa and Su for the name tags and badge holders.
Here's a link to Jan's pictures.

Yarn Will

2009-05-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

Another contest to enter! :-)
My Yarn Will is easy - I leave all my yarn, needles, etc. to Renata - leader of our All Things String group. She can take what she wants and divide the rest up among the group. If I ever get around to writing a real will, I'll try to remember to put that in. And also leave her a few bucks for the hassle of dealing with my stash. :-)
Happy knitting to you all!

Needles won - Yeah!

2009-05-20T08:13:00.000-07:00

I entered a contest on Craft Gossip and won a set of 15 circular needles from . Yeah. I started my first project on them yesterday. I really like the cables on these needles - they're thicker than the normal cables, so when I'm doing a project on 2 circulars, I'm not overtightening the end stitches. I got the 30" set. They're bamboo and feel very nice in my hands.
Thanks to Linda for organizing the contest. New needles for free - yeah!!!

Prizes in the cereal boxes

2009-05-09T09:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I bought a box of Frosted Flakes - I needed a sugar cereal for my Sunday breakfast - and it had a Star Trek LED light. It looks like the badge but has no pin on the back. I'll have to glue a pin back to it.
Anyway, I was reminded that when I was younger, the prizes in the cereal were buried inside the cereal, not nicely packaged on the outside like they are today. I'm sure it's easier for the cereal manufacturers to package it that way. However, they're taking away the thrill of tipping the box carefully to see if you could see and grab the prize. Since the prize had usually settled to the bottom of the box, this could take a few days. And of course, if you had siblings, it was a race to see who could see the prize first and grab it with their grubby little hand. You weren't allowed to dump the cereal out, nor to search it with said grubby little hand, but you could manipulate the sides of the box in order to get the best possible chance of seeing the prize at the bottom. Of course you usually ended up having to share the prize with your siblings - most unfair. :-)

Back from my first SCA Event - Pentathlon

2009-04-27T15:37:00.000-07:00

I had a busy weekend. I spent Friday with old friends from craft night. We used to meet once a month to play with rubber stamps, making cards, etc. That evolved into scrap-booking - however, since I have no children I didn't scrapbook. So, I knitted instead. The monthly meetings ended a year or so ago, and now we get together twice a year for weekends.
Since my friend Tonwen/Rae was going to be honored at an SCA event on Saturday, I decided to go to my first SCA event. Renata arranged for Kim to lend me a dress. Thanks Kim! I traveled to Van Nuys on Friday night with Medb/Renata. We were staying on Friday and Saturday nights at Howard Johnson's in order to take some of the stress of the event away.
It's called Pentathlon, and it covers all the Arts and Sciences covered by SCA - Society for Creative Anachronism. This group is devoted to recreating the best of Medieval and Renaissance life. People enter their items on Saturday for judging. They have 1 hour to set up their exhibit/exhibits. You can enter one item or many. To win the First Prize, you need to have the highest score from at least 5 items in 4 categories. So, people who wish to win, enter several items. There were also dramatic presentations, musical presentations, dance, etc. Those were going on during the day and anyone could attend as audience. Alas, the food competition was only for the judges. After the setup, those not judging were over in the Artisan's area where people set up pavilions and pop-ups to present their crafts. I was with Medb/Renata at the calligraphy/costume pop-up. I sat and knitted during the day and talked to Serafina/Sabrina. (I've tried to put their SCA name first, then their real name).
The winds were heavy and broke a pole on the tent next door which happened to be owned by the King and Queen. So, their tent lay on the ground for the rest of the day. Then, JonThomme/Thomas had barely set up his pavilion, when a plastic tent-stake broke and in seconds his pavilion was down. Luckily no-one was in it, and there wasn't a flame going at the time. At that point, Conchobar/Ric took his ropes and stakes and tied down the pop-ups we were under.
The Whole Hogs of Damocles was the name of Tonwen's team - Medb, Conchobar, Elidh/Cat, JonThomme and his wife Eva (sp?). They created a model of a bog and buried a doll in it. The doll was made of balsa wood and rawhide and clothed in garb complete with miniature shoes (Conchobar). Also included in the burial area were miniature beads (Conchobar), a spindle (Elidh), Nalbinded socks and hat (Medb) and a miniature comb (Jon Thomme). Eva did a castle complete with cabbage fields and six sugar pigs for the pastry competition. Tonwen did a research paper. Each person did full size items for entry in the appropriate category also. They won the People's Choice award and the Team competition. Yeah! Jon Thomme also won a Queen's Favor for his full size version of the comb - made from horn.
Saturday supper was at Red Lobster after Claim Jumper said it would be a 3 hour wait for a group of 8. Red Lobster has the best biscuits.
Sunday I went to church, taking Renata to see her first Catholic Mass.
Sunday morning was for viewing the exhibits and placing small tokens (beads, etc.) by those exhibits you like the best. We stopped in Michael's to pick up tokens. I used small strings of seed beads - purple. Sunday afternoon was Court when the awards were presented.
Sunday supper was at Claim Jumper - since we got there at 4pm there wasn't a very long wait. We were back at Rae and Renata's by 8:30 or so - I helped unpack the car and then drove home.
It was a great weekend, I had lots of fun, and no, I do not plan to join the SCA. :-)

Back to scraping walls, hoodie is finished - yeah!

2009-03-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

I finished the hoodie at the All Things String meeting last Tuesday and have worn it and washed it. I like it a lot, it's snug and warm. The edging of the hood curls under, so I just curled it under all around. The sleeves are raglan as opposed to the straight sleeves on the original pattern.
Now that I'm recovered from the virus, I've started scraping the walls again - such fun. :-)
I did manage to finish off a couple of UFO's, so the pile is shrinking. One of them needs some yarn to sew it up, so I'll have to make a trip to Velona's, another has yarn somewhere in this house for sewing up - I just have to find the yarn.

Mostly recovered, 5th Kiva loan

2009-03-18T12:29:00.000-07:00

Well, it was a virus - the doctor said - Fluids, Tylenol for fever, 7 to 10 days duration. No antibiotics. I didn't start feeling like I was going to recover until Day 8.5, then I was still a little weak for a few more days after that. Not fun at all.
Now, I'm exercising again, working my way back to my normal state of health.
My Kiva loans repaid enough so I could make another loan - Yeah! It's so much fun - I usually check once a week to see how they're doing.
Knitting is going well. The hoodie is almost finished, and I'm poking some of my UFO's in an attempt to clear some of them out. I think my next big project will be either a shawl (with some lovely yarn I got in Solvang), or a clapotis (with some yarn I got in Colorado mixed with some rayon ribbon). Such fun decisions.

Recovering slowly from flu?

2009-03-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

I don't know if it's the flu or what. Severe tiredness, fatigue, etc. for the past 3 days - not much appetite and a sore throat. But no sneezing, sniffling, etc. If I still feel blah by Wednesday I'll have John drag me to the doctors. Hope everyone else is doing well.
I finished my first pair of socks Thursday and wore them all day - just before I became sick (I'm certain there's no correlation).
I just made my fourth Kiva loan, and at the rate the other loans are repaying, i'll be able to make another one soon.
I'll try to post pictures of the socks when I put enough brain cells together to plug in the camera, etc.
Off to take another nap.

No Quidditch for me. :-(

2009-02-16T10:35:00.000-08:00

Sadly, the Quidditch game was called due to Rae not feeling so good. Instead we played Harry Potter Clue at Rae and Renata's house. Me, Kim, Kelsey, Rick and Rae played (Rae won) while Renata cooked and fed us deviled eggs w/curry (Yum), popcorn and roast chestnuts (even more Yum). It was fun.
I need some exercise! I'll have to take a few walks this week when the rain lets up.
The socks are finished - however I'm picking up stitches on the cuff to use up the last of the yarn in making the cuffs longer. The hoodie is progressing well despite having a couple of parts frogged twice. I didn't like the dropped sleeves of the pattern (after I'd sewn the first in) so I'm doing them raglan style instead.
I'm also experimenting with Kool-aid to overdye some yarn I got for free that's in pinks/yellows. I'm using blue Kool-aid in the hope of getting some more purples into the yarn.

Baby blanket is finished and delivered

2009-01-26T11:54:00.000-08:00

I finished the blanket on Saturday and washed it. Then I delivered it on Saturday night. Yeah! Now I'm back to finishing my socks and my hoodie.

Here's a fuzzy picture of baby blanket:

So, now I'm back to my socks and my hoodie - yeah! I'm also trying to get my house a little tidier - I've invited friends to visit so I need to start making it presentable just in case they accept the invitation. The walls haven't been touched in a week or so - maybe next week ...

Here's a picture of my Icelandic Wool sweater that I made eons ago. Unfortunately I can't wear it in Southern California unless I get a job in a freezer somewhere. I may see if my niece in Maine could use it.

Quidditch was great! Back to scraping walls.

2009-01-19T14:58:00.000-08:00

Our first Quidditch game of the year was on Sunday. We had a good turn-out. Sadly, Rae had to leave early. I hope she's feeling better soon.

We had 2 new players - Chad and Sarah. We divided up into teams - Blue and Green, had a warm-up session and started the game. The score ended up at 120 Green, 40 Blue. (I was on the Blue team). However, we all had a lot of fun, with no life-threatening injuries incurred. Pren did get Bludgered in the face - she was O.K. Jim had his ear scraped a few times by Rick's blocks, until Rick went in as Keeper. Better for Jim, not so good for trying to score goals.

Nigel showed up late, so he ended up being the referee when Rae left. Jessie and Rio were bystanders, with Rio distracting everyone with her cuteness.

I did not score any goals, but I got in a lot of fast walking. I managed to survive despite not being in great shape. Next game - Feb. 15th. 3rd Sunday at Byerum Park in Fullerton. Parking is on nearby streets, or on Chapman on the south side of the park.

One of my Kiva loans has made a repayment - a month before their scheduled date - yeah! The Kiva loans are fun - I loved getting the e-mail about the repayment. Once I have $25 repaid, I can roll it over into another loan. They're having a lot of loans funded right now, due to some groups pushing for funding to tie into the inauguration.

Meanwhile, I'm back to scraping the walls - it does help to build up my arms.

Orthodontist shake-up, getting ready to work again

2009-01-14T17:28:00.000-08:00

Well, my orthodontist office had 2 orthos. The one whose name is on the door, and a second one. I preferred the second one - he seemed to know a little more, etc. So, of course, he's now moved on, and the first one is the only ortho in the office. I can't easily take my braces and follow the guy who left. That's the one problem with braces - they have you in a financial lock for the time you're in them. The first guy's not bad, he's just not great. I'm heading for my first anniversary with these things on, so far no major problems. I've got one set of elastic bands (the colored ones for fun). I'm not looking forward to the time when they add more to the mix.

I had a 'Meet and Greet' with a couple of guys from my temp agency - these guys are located in Cerritos. They seemed happy with my resume. Of course they're like salespeople everywhere - they give you vague assurances. I'm waiting for the real phone call. This is the agency who got me my last job, however they're also the same agency who called me regarding the position I'd left after 15 years. :-)

Knitting is proceeding slowly. Runescape is doing well. The wall is the same as last week - i.e. no progress.

Our first Quidditch game of 2009 is this Sunday (1/18). I'm not in great shape, but I think I'll survive.

Happy New Year - may yours be Healthy too!

2009-01-07T10:42:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post - I looked and realized I hadn't done one for 2009 yet.

I've now got 2 Kiva loans (whee). I'm planning to do another one in Feb. and then one in Mar., then I'll see what happens.

I've called my temp. agencies and put my name back on their lists. Next I have to start my Internet searches, as well as taking the Accountemps online computer courses.

Meanwhile, I've started scraping the walls again. The people who owned our house before we bought it from them, did some decorative plastering? on the walls. It's ugly and holds dirt really well. So, last year I scraped the popcorn ceiling from the entryway and hallway, and did the entry way walls too. Now I'm on the hallway walls. It's tough on the arms = all that scraping. I spray water on, let it soak in, and scrape away.

I'm hoping one of the agencies finds me a job soon so I can quite scraping walls. :-)

Knitting - I'm working on a baby blanket for Lena's daughter at church, I have one sock done and one half done, and my turquoise hoody is 3/4's done. I'm attaching the sleeves.

I'm limiting my Runescape addiction by only allowing myself to play after I've exercised for the day, and after I've knit at least 6 rows on the baby blanket. So far it's working well. After all, I have to get in shape for Quidditch on the 18th.

After-Christmas

2008-12-29T13:34:00.001-08:00

Just a quick post: Christmas was good. We spent it w/husband's relatives in Ojai. I'm fighting off a cold (so far I'm winning - yeah!). Sunday I had dim sum with some of the knitting group (Rae, Renata, Melyssa, Jamie & Alexander, Velvet, Gwen & John, and Laurie/Alicesky). Lots of good company and good food. I was very stuffed.

I've started playing Runescape (free online role-playing game) so I'm now wasting time killling chickens and cutting down trees. Aaagh!

On a good note: The Kiva loan I'm involved in is fully funded.http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=78656 When I checked the Kiva website on Sunday, all their loans had been funded - Wheee! I guess a few people used their Kiva gift cards. Kiva now has some more loans to fund, so if you're interested check out their website. (Ravelry has a Kiva group set up). Kiva is a microfinance group - you loan amounts in $25 increments. When the group you're loaning to pays back the loan, you can reloan the money or take it back. You do need to have Paypal to be involved, so if you have a Paypal account you're set. If you don't have a Paypal account - make sure you check the Paypal details first. They charge you if someone pays you by credit card - I think they should give the sender of the money the option to pay the fee first, before making the receiver pay (especially when the receiver is not a business).

Anyway - Have a Happy Healthy New Year!

History - Knit-a-Thon 11/29/08

2008-12-19T09:51:00.001-08:00

Saturday, Nov. 29th (After Thanksgiving) was the first Knit-a-Thon. It was to benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Fund. The place was the West Wing of South Coast Plaza (the part that used to be known as Crystal Court). The party was from 10am to 6pm. I'd signed up for the 10am to noon shift. I got there a bit early so I could get a coffee drink. I was one of the first to arrive. We all received a bag of coupons from South Coast Plaza, including a $5 gift certificate from Spa Gregories one of the main sponsors of the Knit-a-Thon. Kathy Leek, who works for Spa Gregories, organized the event.

Here's the story in the OC Register.

I had made a couple of small hats that I finished at the event. Then I started and mostly finished a pair of hand-warmers. Kathy wanted the hand-warmers for herself, and she didn't want the ends woven in, so I gave them to her as is. I ended up staying until about 4pm. It was a great day. I met quite a few nice knitters, and got a couple of ideas for scarves. Most of the other knitters were making scarves, as that was supposed to be the item to make. Since I didn't get that memo, I made hats.

2 packages out, 2 to go

2008-12-12T14:16:00.001-08:00

Let's see - Tuesday was knitting night - Starbucks locked us out (due to plumbing problems) so we went to Subway. Nice group - Jamie and Abraham were there too. I bought a skein of yarn from Jamie for my sister-in-law. I forgot to take a picture of it, it was a lovely cobalt blue, almost purple.

Thursday I went to South Coast Plaza on a sort-of-shopping trip. I didn't buy a thing from there except lunch and a hot chocolate. I did buy a couple of things from the Container Store, including a Flat Pack for my Christmas present to myself.

Friday - I managed to get 2 packages in the mail, so now I only have 2 left (one to the East Coast, one (very large one) to Wyoming.

I've finished the Mermaid neck-warmer for my niece. It's washed - currently drying. Then I have to take a picture and package it. Same for the Seafoam scarf for the waitress at Brownstone. I have to finish the scarf I'm making for one of the Starbucks baristas and then I'm done with my 'necessary' Christmas knitting. Then it's time to knit for myself again!

Monday - Project Linus

2008-12-09T09:17:00.000-08:00

The second Monday of each month is Project Linus night. The local chapter is run by Altrusa - a local business women's group. Blankets are given to them by all sorts of different people, including several nursing home groups. Once a month we sew labels on them and attach tags explaining Project Linus. Last night was a relatively small batch of blankets, so we were finished early.

The blankets are given to several local clinics and hospitals for them to give to children who are in the hospital for whatever reason. The blankets have to be machine washable and hand-made. It's amazing to see some of the gorgeous items that are donated to Project Linus - some of the quilts and yarn items are beautiful.

Weekend - Ravenclaw dinner, Knitting Group

2008-12-08T11:31:00.000-08:00

Saturday was the Ravenclaw dinner organized by Nigel (our fearless Quidditch captain). Present were Nigel, Jessie (his wife and a Gryffindor), Magical Baby Creature Rio, Jim (Chaser), Renata (Head of Ravenclaw) and myself. We had a dinner of appetizers and desserts (yum) at the Slidebar in Fullerton. It was a very nice evening.

Sunday was the knitting group's first meeting at Panera Bread in Fullerton. We'd been meeting at the Brownstone Cafe in Fullerton, however with a broken espresso machine, off/on salsa, etc. we decided it was time to try other venues. I liked the Panera Bread restaurant - I just have to remember to get there before 11am if I want any breakfast items. (I really want to try the 4 cheese egg souffle - it sounds very decadent). Anne was already there when I arrived, we were joined by Kniterotica, along with 2 others (1 whose name I didn't catch, and 1 whose name I will leave off to help preserve her anonymity) :-). I got a lot of knitting done on my seafoam/drop stitch scarf for the waitress Jackie at the Brownstone. All in all, a most productive meeting.

Now, I'm working on my scarf for my barista at Starbucks. I tried the seafoam stitch with a sock yarn, but didn't like the look, so I searched my stash again and came up with 2 skeins of Meditation by Skacel in a brownish/pink/metallic colorway. So, I'm doing a basic K2, Yo scarf with that. I wound my yarn to make the Mermaid neckwarmer (pattern by Anne from Handicraft Cafe), but I haven't started it yet. Yarn by Zona (Twirlgirl Fibers).

History - working at the polling station 11/4/08

2008-12-07T10:12:00.000-08:00

One of the problems with being the latecomer to blogging is that my history isn't in my blog, and I can't put it there in the correct time frame. So, I'll just put it in as I remember it.

This was my third time working as the inspector for a polling station. It was chaotic and fun as usual. The day started way too early - I had to be there by 6am, so I got up at 5am, packed my car and hit the road. The gate didn't open until 6am exactly, so my workers were waiting outside and starting to panic. We got in and started setting up. At 6:20am, the first voter got in line. We opened at 7am without any glitches. Having only one precinct made the process much smoother. We had the line cleared out by 7:50am. It helped to have a very savvy high school student handing out the paper ballots as the paper booths opened up = she would call out to the line 'Anyone want to use a paper ballot?' and would take the first person who raised their hand. This sped the line up quite a bit. Most people opted for electronic voting. Half the precinct had already voted by mail/early voting, so the stream of voters was steady but not too heavy all day long. We had two people try to bring their dogs in, and one lady with two obnoxious children/grandchildren. We had one person with a political bumper sticker on her stroller, and one wearing a political pin. Both removed them when asked. I had 7 workers (usually I only have 4). This led to a very easy day with everyone able to take 2 one-hour breaks during the day. The two male high school students were very helpful at the end of the day - taking down the electronic booths in no time. No injuries either.

Our last voter was at 7:45pm, we closed the booths at 8pm, and were on our way by 8:45pm. The female high school student followed me in her car as I dropped off the supplies/ballots/electronic bits. That way I couldn't stop on the way and hack into the electronic machine. :-) I delivered everything safe and sound and was home by 9pm. Long day but very worthwhile. Yeah for Mr. Obama, Boo! for California passing Prop. 8

Welcome to my blog

2008-12-06T13:51:00.000-08:00

I decided it was time to start a blog. Since many of my other knitting acquaintances have one ... The title is from the phrase so many of us here while knitting in public (KIP). My usual response has been to smile and not really say anything. I want to try and ask questions next time. Such as: Do you still have anything she made for you? What was her favorite color to use? Did she try to teach you?

For the record, my maternal grandmother (Granny K) used to knit, she taught my mother and my mother taught me. Granny K made me some lovely doll clothes and blankets. I still have one or two of the doll blankets she made - they were many different colors. I believe she used up her scraps to make me the blankets.

The current picture is one of the Ravenclaw team t-shirts I made for the awesome Hogwarts party we attended in November. Ravenclaw won! The Quidditch World Cup, the House Championship (Quidditch) and the House Cup. We barely managed to beat Hufflepuff by 20 points. Since we started the day with a 20 point lead over them, and ended the day with a 20 point lead, and since we won the Quidditch game, logic leads me to believe that the Hufflepuff students were smarter than us. (Just don't tell my fellow Ravenclaws).

The t-shirts were made by using a stencil, outlining with a copper fabric paint pen, painting with white craft paint, and then with bronze craft paint. It was a long process (15 shirts in all). It was a lot of fun, especially handing them out to my team members.

Sadly, that was the last full Hogwarts party. Happily, the Quidditch games will continue!