Sunday in Westeros

I love a day with nothing to do. I always have plenty of stuff to do, but I mean a day with nothing I HAVE to do! No chores, no duties, no responsibilities. That means lots of time for stuff I WANT to do - read, catch up on DVD viewing, crochet!

Sunday was a lovely day for that. After leisurely waking up, checking email & Facebook (in case something momentous was going on - which it wasn't) - I put "Game of Thrones" Season 1, DVD 1 in the DVD player & hit PLAY. AAAH - the luxury of seeing a fabulous book made in film so accurately, so well cast, just so damn well DONE! I love living in Westeros in my imagination while I listen to the books (via Audible.com) - now I have images to see. I'm currently listening to Book Three of the series, so going back and watching the first DVD was like watching a history lesson - these things already happened! I can't praise "Game of Thrones" highly enough. The characters are wonderful (well, the evil ones are really rotten!!) - the settings truly invoke a sense of place - and the plots are truly twisted! I love it. And one of the best things about series-reading is that "The End" doesn't mean the end! There's another book waiting for me! {sigh} I love that!

So ANYWAY! I fire up the DVD player and get out my afghan blocks. I'd noticed when I was putting them away that the block sizes wasn't uniform. That's bad. It meant the squares wouldn't line up when it comes time to join them all together. So I spent the first episode adding rows of border around the smaller squares to bring them all to a happy 13".

Then I pulled out my "Infinity Wrapped" that I'm making for myself. Pretty, huh? The pic above is the first motif halfway done. It is kinda tedious - first you make the five infinity shape motifs, then join them together by making six rows of border on one side, then make six rows of border on the other side, then put more border around the whole thing with little bobbly things all around! Whew!!! So far, I've made & joined the motifs and made six rows of border on one side. Tonight, I added the first row of border on the opposite side. It's a lot of counting and making sure you do the right stitch at the right place to keep the smooth curvy lines going. I know I will love it when I'm done. I think it may be called the "Infinity Wrap" because the border goes on and on and on and on...

Shamrocky Road

I've walked in several 5Ks since I've been seriously walking for exercise in the past three years or so. The Danville Running & Fitness Club has a series of seven races they use to tally scores for those of us who have no shot at winning a race. Points are awarded on finishing position in the seven races and combined for the year's total. I'm hoping to compete in all seven races with fairly decent times - also hoping the women in my age group have to miss a race or two - giving me the chance to swoop in and WIN WIN WIN!!! There's no prize, of course - just recognition. But it's my best shot at the WIN WIN WIN.

So yesterday was St Patricks Day - and the Shamrock 5K. I posted a good time of 46:42 which I am very pleased with. Now I just have to show up and finish the other six races in the series, and I may have a chance to be a Winner! Please keep the comments about "You're a winner Just for Participating!" to yourselves. Winner means Winner, not Participator - it's not the Special Olympics.

I did realize as I trudged as fast as I could over the course - the lovely Danville River Walk trail - that racing takes the fun out of walking. I try to walk at least 3 times a week - in my neighborhood, on the River Walk trail - for exercise. I am listening to the the "Game of Thrones" series of books on my iPhone earbuds while I walk, and I get entranced in the story - laughing at funny parts, even crying at sad parts - but it takes my mind off the fact that I'm walking walking walking walking... Racing, however, required me to concentrate - to focus - to push myself faster than usual - to listen to my 80s aerobic mix music to keep my pace up - to try and catch the lady in my age group who was ahead of me (and finished ahead of me too). Not so much fun. More like work. Work sucks. And I paid to do it! Oh well - keeping my eye on the WIN WIN WIN!

crochet march

With Crochet & Knit Blog 2012 week coming up soon, I decided to post some recent FO's from the Whimsical Wonderland BAM CAL on Ravelry. This BAM is more challenging - the patterns are all original, designed specifically for the group crochet-along.

This was January's block - done during the last football games of the 2011 season. It's called Ripplin Snowflake and involved more steps than I'm used to. The foundation ripply block was done first, then embroidered top stitching on the middle white line. The circle part was crocheted separately, embellished with top stitching, and attached to the block. Very lovely, I think. My palette for this group CAL in Vanna's Choice yarns are Sapphire, Bluebell, Rust, Brick, Honey and White.











The next block is an extra pattern I made from the same designer, Donna K Lacey. It involved a special crochet stitch called "bullions" which is multiple wraps around the hook creating the "bumpy" stitches. Another new technique for me.











Next is "Anticipation" by the Guest Designer for January in the group. It involved "surface crochet" where stitches are placed on top of existing rounds. Love the effect, although I didn't think I would while I was working the block.











February's block "I Cross My Heart" used a completely new technique to me: Tapestry Crochet. It is a tedious and fiddly process of making one or two single crochet stitches in one color, switching to the other color, and back and forth - following a chart like a counted cross-stitch chart. I like the block, but I doubt I'll make another.













Also in February, I made the block "Firenze." The designer made her blocks using a single color with white contrast, and I chose to use the Brick and Rust colors against the Sapphire background. I really like the pattern which wasn't very difficult. Definitely a keeper











The March square is "Lucky Charms" which was presented by the designer in shades of green, making it a very St Patricks type block. I kept to my palette, making the "shamrocks" in white. I like this block, but I wonder how the little puffs will do if the afghan is actually used. I may go back and tack them down with invisible nylon thread.











The March Guest Designer square is still in process for me. Hoping to finish it this weekend. Here's how they line up if I were to stitch them together now. I have many months of blocks to make and add to this crochet adventure of an afghan.

Marching ahead

I should be balancing my checkbook & paying bills right now. Yuck. Let me pretend the money in my bank account really belongs to me for a few more hours.




Instead, I've been surfing the net for knit & crochet blogs. Voila! Here's what I found!

The Third Annual Knitting & Crochet Blog Week! Coming up, right around the corner next week! So I've resolved to Do Something Blogworthy with my knitting and crochet. Post some pictures of my FO's (finished objects) - and WIPs (works in progress). I have been neglecting my poor blog - and I hereby promise to post more - especially during the celebration.

I get a bit sad when I follow other crafters' blogs - those who don't have to waste 9 or 10 hours of their day at unappealing, unpleasant, and all-around UN-FUN jobs. They post daily progress on projects - finished objects taking an afternoon, etc. If I were to post photos of my daily progress - it would be more of a "Wow! The stitch marker moved up a few rows!" Or worse, on the days when my time is spent starting a new block pattern (for example) - I could photograph the first three rounds - oops, then frogged back - then try again, find a major error on the first round - so that when my yarny time is done - I have frogged and restarted yet again.

Oh well. Perhaps my job requires I waste my life away at this desk, I'm crocheting in my heart.