stitch marker

4/96

New Massive Project With Deadline. I need to make 96 squares for a blanket for a friend who's having a baby in December. And it seems it's going to have about 1200 ends. I've actually made 5 squares now. We're going on vacation for a week, starting tomorrow, to Long Island - Martin's parents' summer house. I'm thinking sci-fi books, crosswords, and tiny squares in the sun, while Gramma Villa and Paw Paw Dan take over Sebastian. So I'm hoping to make a really good dent.

Then there's the Olympics. And the Elections. Etc. How far can I really go? Will I make all 96?

Also about squares, I've had a few questions about the dishcloth project. I really didn't know that I'd been so unclear. It was great! The squares all made it to me, I archived them with photos (all here), printed the photos and placed them in an album with numerical notation and place of origin, stacked them up in order, and the entire thing was exhibited in New Jersey for a very short time. My sister, who was going to go, missed it. It was a 2-week or so show.

Now when they return to me I can think of what to do next. I have an idea for another show in another configuration here in Portland. I will let you know.

And I still owe prizes to the two prize winners. I have not forgotten. I'm a notoriously slow prize fulfiller but I always do it and your yarn will come. I'll write more on the dishcloths when they come back here. Thank you! They are all so cool and I have some more ideas for their future.

ruby did a meme

I know, I know, a meme. How deliciously trite. But this one was really fun! I read about it on Mandy's blog. Here's how you do it.

Using fd’s Flickr Toys,

• Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
• Using only the first page, pick an image.
• Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

The Questions:

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

Can you guess what some of my answers were?

whee!

A summer ride from the farmers market downtown to Abundant Yarn in Sellwood - almost all the way on the Springwater Trail. No shade, not one bit, but no cars either. (The shade in the above photo was from after the trail ended. Seriously the trail had no shade of any kind.)

Sarah and I met at the market, and we really do have the exact same bike. Here's the proof. So as we rode away together we were sort of like a very small, slow motorcycle gang. We took over a lane to make a left downtown and it was really cute.

And here's the guy with a much bigger load to haul. He brings his whole business on his bike, including ceramic cones to custom drip each cup of coffee. You can see a better shot of the bike/box hookup here. The business end is in front of the pedaling end.

new station wagon, or I lost 3500 pounds in one day (TM)

I can't remember - it must have been when I was a child, if ever - the last time I had this much fun on a bike.

I begged for it, proclaimed we couldn't go on without it, warned Martin they would all be gone if we didn't act fast (I was right, BTW), and gave all the encouragement I could to Martin's sale of our Miata in order to buy this. I even gave in to the fact that the bike that did everything I wanted was also the exact same bike as Sarah's. I gave up on that struggle and got the same darn bike. We're a gang now.

And I'm so glad. The bike is like riding on a cloud, even with 4o pounds of boy and 40 pounds of groceries in back. I ride it like a child, confident, bouncing happily over rocks and curbs. I was worried it would take me all summer to learn to ride with Sebastian on there, but this picture is the very first day I had the bike. The attitude adjustment is amazing. You just have to be willing to take an hour to get somewhere, and then it's a piece of cake.

The big board on the back is an Xtracycle. (That TM up there in the title is because that's a phrase of theirs.) The Xtracycle Free Radical adds length and stability to the bike, making it possible to do things like carry another bike, an adult, or a 60 pound bag of concrete mix.

I get teary-eyed when I watch their youtube video. I can't drive a car anymore, but this comes so close to the range and yet is so much more free, fun, and lovely. I can take Sebastian places without waiting endlessly for buses and trains.

We can GO! Slowly.

babushkita

A friend was mixing her Russian and Spanish when she gave it its name.

It's a small, summery kerchief worked as a mitered triangle with i-cord edging and ties. The pattern is a 4-page pdf with chatty instructions and tips, including i-cord instructions for both attached and plain i-cord. I used Cascade Sierra. Any worsted yarn with a spring to it, wool or cotton blend, will do. It might be cool in a Noro yarn, or in doubled sock yarn, or in any one of the cool cottons available this summer.

More views: The back, top (I know I look like I passed out in that one, but you try to take your own picture in a kerchief!), and ties. You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to open the document.

Pattern $4.50 US

I wore mine today and it was more comfortable than even I imagined it would be.

this little light of mine

Cute (I hope) design for a kerchief. Horrifying hair. And this thing just resists photography like you wouldn't believe. My time-honored tricks for taking my own picture are not working. I hope I get one or two good shots so I can publish the pattern.

I'd like to make a whole sweater with this yarn. Cascade Sierra. Very nice.

Oh, and someday I'll get a hairbrush. I'm saving up.

a short break on the walk home from the bus

"If you are walking? With your eyes closed? You have to watch out where you're going."