I Don't Think This is a Dye Lot Issue

  I saw a skein of this at a Walmart when we were in Kentucky(bottom) and remembered that a rainbow yarn with short runs of color really does exist.  For some reason I didn't pick up one while we were there.  I checked a few Walmarts near me and didn't even see a spot for it.  Since I really wanted to make some rainbow octopi I ordered some off the Yarnspirations website.  I didn't see the jumbo, like I saw at Walmart, so I just ordered a few skeins(top left).  When we were recently at the cabin we needed to stop at Walmart to get a few things.  I swung by the yarn to see what they had and spotted something interesting.  They had three jumbo skeins of the Mexicana(top right) but I noticed something odd.  Going through all three I picked out the most vibrant one.  The other two looked even more muted and muddy.  I thought I possibly was remembering the color wrong or something, but it looked so very different.

  They look like two different yarns to me, they even pool differently.  The newest one looks like they mixed the colors with grey.  They even look like two different weights of yarn when put next to each other.

  After doing some more research, I discovered that the top right skein was made in 2022 in India while the top left was made in 2025 in Türkiye.  I did not take a detailed enough photo of the bottom one to tell when or where it was made.  I like how the older one works up, so I'm really hoping the newest one and it's friends on the shelf were outliers.

  With all the traveling we have done recently, I seem to come down with a bad case of startitis.  I may have also gotten it from one of the many doctors visits.  What you are looking at is a hexagon cardigan for Miss Spud, a Jester hat that I'm already planning on making a second one of, a Worry Worm, a Textured Cat Hat, and a test piece for a future dress for Miss Spud.  In the middle of all of this I managed to make the two rainbow octopi for the yarn comparison.

  Now, I've never claimed to be a monogamous crafter, but this is a bit much.  Luckily the beads for the Worry Worm will be dry before too long and that should also get another skein finished as well.  The Textured Cat Hat is the next closest to being done, I just have to close up the top and weave in my ends.  The test dress is one row short of dividing the sleeve caps from the body, so it will go quicker for a bit until the skirt starts to get full.  The jester hat will feel like it takes a while with the single crochet ribbing, but should go faster than I think it will.  The hexagon cardigan is barely started.  I plan to make it about the same size as her pumpkin sweater so we will get some wear out of it.

Yearly Yarn Tracker:

Yarn In: 10 (10)
Yarn Out: 2 (2)

Total: 8

It Turned Out to be Opening Weekend

   The reason Bill really wanted to go to the Maryland Renaissance Festival last weekend was because Jacques Ze Whipper was preforming and that was going to be his only weekend so close to us.  If you haven't heard of him, he used to be a radio journalist who missed the performing life he knew when he was a kid.  His father was a clown in the circus who used a whip in his performances.  If you are too far away to see him in person, he has videos posted on various social media platforms, they are really funny, and he even does tricks sometimes.  In the picture he was showing off how he had already been gifted so much Old Bay in such a short time, there was even a keychain!  We didn't realize it was opening weekend at first, and this is the first time I've been to it so early in the season.  Usually I've gone more mid-season, when it's cooler out.

  We saw two of his shows that day and I got a pin each time.  For the second show we got there earlier because he was on one of the smaller stages and standing room filled up quickly.  The shows were both great and I'd love to see him in person again someday.  We also went to both jousts that day.  The first time we picked a spot with shade where we could see, then later we wanted to be loyal to our knight, Sir Keegan.  I got my giant turkey leg and Felicity (mead and raspberry wine).  I didn't get to check out the venders as much as I did the other time, but there was nothing I was looking to buy this trip anyway.  I'm hoping to get a few things made for myself to wear.  Last time I had the same plan but forgot what I wanted to make.  This year I've made a list of projects I hope to work on for myself.

   You can see the color differences between the first and second skein of yarn.  I've been working on the new skein for a few days now, but I only just noticed the differences at K&CC get together.  Until this outing, I thought the colors were dark brown, copper, and tan.  I didn't even know there was green or blue!  I guess that's what I get for starting a new project in low lighting.

  I had put a poll up to see what shape I should use for my Christmas themed worms and the round shape won.  I then looked online and ordered some 6mm beads.  I also found out that Amazon can fulfill their two day delivery promise out to the cabin.  When they arrived I thought they looked too small for some reason.  I did a quick search and was reminded that pony beads are 6x9mm.  So now I've ordered new beads and will return the ones I got before.

Some General Updates

Pattern: Textured Cat Hat Recipe - Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in Autumn Red 9924 and Bone 9703 - Needle: US 6

  I had enough from the first hat to make another, similar one.  I like how the texture looks and I'm thinking of writing it out as a pattern.  The other hat looked a bit snug on Marguerite's head and I wanted to see how it would look when the fabric isn't being stretched as much.  It's a pretty easy pattern to work because it is just moss stitch or extended seed stitch.  The color changes are what make it look more interesting.

Pattern: Textured Cat Hat Recipe - Yarn: Lion Brand Hometown USA in Oakland Black and Los Angeles Tan - Needle: US 11

  I think I had figured out the pattern wrong before.  I was trying to figure out the pattern stitch reading the knitting upside down.  Now that I take a closer look at it with the bulky yarn, it looks like the fabric on the one from AliExpress was made from the top down.  I think I like how this way looks better, so when I type out the pattern, I will be using this one.  I also tried a new grafting stitch that I kind of made up on the spot.  For the front needle stitches I went into them with the yarn needle like I was going to knit them, and for the back needle like I was going to purl them.

  We took a trip out to the cabin for the home inspection.  It took us a bit, but our inspector, Josh, was able to figure out how to turn the water on.  He was a really nice guy, he even said that he should have brought us some honey from his bees.  Though speaking of bees, there were a lot of carpenter bees buzzing around.  Another new thing was that it looked like the family had been around and had put stickers with names on them for the furniture items they wanted to claim.

  We have been going back and forth and have come to an agreement.  There was nothing on the report that was a big shock, but since it has been so long since the yearly maintenance has been done they are willing to knock some of the price off and to also get a pest inspection and to pay to get any pest damage fixed.

  Some background on the older cabin was that it has been in the family for such a long time that they are probably the original owners.  The listing says that it has been in the family for over 70 years, but a census was found from the late 1700s and their last name was listed there at that address.  It's a bit sad that they are not still passing it down in the family, but I will also admit that it is a win for us.

Our first cabin warming present, some 12' sunflowers

  Shane and I have found out that banks can be really strange.  It seems that if you have not written a check to someone who has had a Wells Fargo account that the nice bank teller will not be able to find the information she needs to easily deposit the check and it will take a few days to clear.

Pesto Party and Some Eye Stuff!

   My mom saw a listing online for some basil and sent me to go and get it.  I thought I was going to get a bundle, but I got a whole large bag of it.  The pesto I made is really good, I changed the recipe some, like using cashews instead of pine nuts and adding a bit of lemon.  I might have to make this more, though it is alarming how many leaves go into it and how little pesto you get out of it.

  Since I've made a few batches of themed Worry Worms, I was thinking I could possibly make some to sell online.  I don't know if that is against any "rules" out there about them, but I've changed the pattern a few times, so I've made it my own.  I've also seen many other people selling them online.  Since my favorite one is the one with three "ears" on each side of it's head, I'm thinking of focusing on those to sell.  I'm going to call them either Axolotl Worms or Axolotl Worry Worms.  I was thinking of making about nine in each color, with different eye options.  If they get really popular I could start making more in each color.  If they never catch on, then I can throw them into the donation bag.

  Shane had been having some eye problems after a dog he was watching licked his eye.  The first doctor thought it was a lower retina detachment, so we hurried to Tysons to see a retina specialist.  Turns out it was scar tissue and some stuff floating around in there.  It was apparently interesting enough that they called other people in to take a look.

  We then headed to DC for them to take a sample of eye juice and inject something.  They wanted make sure there is no infection or anything else super bad.  They think it might be uveitis.  There was also a "quick" chest x-ray before they let him go, about a mere five hours after we got there.

  His eye was already doing better once he woke up.  We got to the appointment the next day early, so we went to Sophia's deli for breakfast/brunch, they had good sandwiches.  The usual numbing and dilating happened before some pictures were taken.  During our visit we got to sit in a variety of colors of chair which meant different things.  The final room of the day had various lights on the wall by the door which let the doctor know which one to go to next and which rooms were vacant.  I got to see an eye ultrasound happen.

  We were told to come back the next day.  Vision was about the same as the day before.  So far all the tests have come back negative, but still no PCR from the sample they took.  She thinks everything looks about the same and he doesn't have to come back in to see her until next Wednesday.  It's good to hear "stay the course" when the course is medicine and not surgeries.

In a New York (Long Weekend) Minute

 Friday:

 

  Our gate (J26) wasn't announced until 1:04pm when the train was scheduled to leave at 1:15pm.  There were just a bunch of people waiting by the monitors until it was announced and then all moved at once, like a large flock of birds.  I thought we had assigned seats, but you just find one you like in the Coach area.

  We rode the Northeast Regional Amtrak for a fairly quick three hour and forty minute trip.  I got the turkey and Gouda sandwich, it was pretty good.  There was a really good squirrel mural near Baltimore, it had a purple background and showed the squirrel eating from a bird feeder.  I didn't manage to get a picture or find one online of it.

  Steven managed to get a seat-mate that liked Star Wars.  He told him about the 501st Legion.  The new guy's lady-person also liked Star Wars and she had a Darth Vader suitcase.  The lady behind me from Delaware was blown away when her seat-mate from New York told her about Cat Cafes.

  On our walk from the train to the hotel we saw a bunch of very fashionable people.  One girl had a horizontal slit peek-a-boo t-shirt cut super short and it looked really edgy with a blazer on top.

  Our Homewood Suites room looked like an apartment.  I like how there are so many space-efficient pieces of furniture exist now.  In our room the couch folded out to be another bed.

  Tony's Pizza sounded good for dinner before the show.  I got the veggie, Bill got the pepperoni and bacon, and Steven got one BBQ and one bacon.  They were thin and just the right amount of floppy while not being too greasy.

  Since we got to the venue for Stomp early, we did some people watching while we waited for the doors to open.  We did get to hear someone warming up for the show when we picked up our tickets.

  The stage and seating area had a bunch of city things all over.  There were street signs, a crossing signal, hub caps, a traffic signal, and so many other bits and bobs.

  The show was amazing.  I love how many characters there were, like the one who wants to be the center of attention, the chill guy, the cool girl, the tough girl, and the awkward guy.  The awkward guy was my favorite.

  The scene transitions were super fast.  Even when it took longer to get set up they had something for you to watch.  One scene even looked like stop motion animation.  I recommend going to see it, I know I wouldn't mind seeing it again.

Saturday:

  I had wanted to go to The Bagel Store to get the original rainbow bagel, but they were temporarily closed.  I then found Liberty Bagels Midtown who also have a rainbow bagel.

  I got the rainbow bagel with spinach and artichoke, Bill got the rainbow bagel with strawberry, Steven got the sausage egg and cheese on sesame.  It was good enough that we talked about going back again before the trip was over.

  I was really hoping to see Swatch since he is starting to look a bit old when they show him on Project Runway.  I wondered around but didn't see him.  The employee said that the best time to see Swatch is around summer because that's when they film Project Runway.  It was a bit weird that he also told me twice that Swatch was still alive, just at home.  Since walking all three floors I'm so confused how the Project Runway contestants manage to find what they need in so little time.  The store is organized so well, but there are just so many fabric options.

  The Ghost Busters Headquarters.  It's a working fire station, so the gift shop isn't always open.  It was fun to stop by and see.

  We went to frenchette for lunch, it was just a short walk down the road from the fire station.  I got the duck haché with Chiara Vigo to drink, Bill got the poulet roti, and Steven got the tartare frites.  Everything was a bit pricey, but so good and worth it.  I even had some leftovers to take back to the hotel.  When you get a box for extra food, they give you a playing card to turn in before you leave.

  Everyone else took a nap, but I went out to get a Geocache.  This one was a bit hard to pull out of the hiding spot because of how strong the magnet on the container was.  It was a nice walk and helped me to digest all the food I had eaten.

  On way to the show, we saw a guy pulling his food cart and just walking with the traffic.  He even got a Taxi to back up for him because he had to get through that spot.

  We wanted to see one show on Broadway and Beetlejuice won.  The show was really good and now I want to learn all the stage magic.  I also got a bit emotional when everyone gave them a standing ovation because everyone's hard work came together to make a great show.  There was a mic issue at the beginning, but that didn't ruin the show at all.

  For a midnight snack we got some more pizza.  2Bros Pizza had a line out the door, but they were working quickly.  The cheese pizza slices were only $1 and very good.  I would go there all the time for a late-night bite if I lived nearby.

Sunday:

  While waiting in the line to check our bags at the train station the guy at the front of the line was having problems with his credit card and then the other people didn't have their tickets available to scan easily.  The poor employees were trying to get through the line as quickly as possible.

  We then went to the The Fans Strike Back Exhibition.  I took a million pictures of everything.  Steven and I did the VR experience.  I really like flying in space, but I probably would have made a few different flight path choices.  It was also really cool to be able to see some of the costumes up close and see what they were made out of.

  Osteria 57 won for lunch.  We got the Truffle Ricotta Toast for the table and sparkling water.  I got the Poached Egg and the Body Language drink, Bill got the Papperdelle and the Perfect Darkness, and Steven got the Spaghetti and the Vodka Lemon.  I really liked the little outdoor building they made for seating.  A bunch of restaurants had them and though it meant that there was less street parking, it was really cool.

  Steven had been requesting that we get ice cream at some point.  Bill did a quick search, and I knew I wanted to come here.  He showed me one picture of the ice cream flower and I wanted one.  Amorino is where you should go if you want to get your own ice cream flower.  They also have cups for ice cream.  I saw that they just get tiny slivers and press them on the outside to make the flower, so it isn't too hard, but it is fiddley and would take practice.  I got mango, mascarpone & fig, and banana with a pistachio macaroon.  She forgot to put it on top, so I just got it on the side.

  We were trying to think of things to do, so I suggested sitting in a park and people watching.  The nearest park was Washington Square Park.  I wondered around to see if I could get another Geocache and while trying to find it there were suddenly a ton of people on bicycles riding through the middle.  After a bit I saw a different group go down one of the streets next to the park with three LAPD officers on scooters behind them, it was really cool.

  Steven had been to the Museum of Sex the last time he was in NYC but said he wouldn't mind going again with Bill and me.  It was both educational and amusing.  I would go again some time and try and win a prize.  The girl in front of us won one and I was jealous of her.

  We still had some time to kill and were feeling a bit hungry.  We had planned to stop by a roadside stand but kept having meals that were too big or they were all closed for the day when we wanted a late-night snack.  This was the last chance we were going to have before the trip was over.  It was so good and I was glad we were finally able to get one.

  While waiting for the train I saw someone with an MTA Homeless Outreach bright orange jacket that had Magikarps embroidered onto the cuffs of her pants.

  Shane hooked us up with some business seating upgrades.  We got in just a bit too late to take the Metro back home, so we waited in line for a taxi.  The one we got was a bit small, but we had been managing to get all three of us in the back of the NYC taxis, so we did one more New York Squish.  This taxi driver ran a red light soon after leaving the station and was not comfortable driving on winding back roads at all, but he was really nice.

  It was a really good trip overall.  I will have to remember to pack some Band-Aids or something for a next trip because the sides of my little toes got rubbed raw.  We got all the things we really wanted to get done in and had some time for a few more things.  We even have something we want to try and do the next time we are in town.

For another time:

  The NYCRHPS show for that weekend was on Saturday, but it was happening at 9pm which was only an hour after Beetlejuice was supposed to start.  We would have tried to go if it had been a midnight showing.

  Houndstooth Pub was near our hotel, and we kept meaning to try it, but the timing was never right.  We were either too full or arriving too close to closing time.

  We had also planned to try and find somewhere where we could buy some of the Rogue River Blue cheese by Rogue Creamery.  We had found a few shops that carried that brand of cheeses but ran out of time to stop by one of them.

Hat Problems

 

  I have found a mistake in the pattern.  The second to largest size tells you to cast on 94 stitches, but you won't have the right number to work the 3x3 ribbing.  The rest of the numbers 67, 78, 84, 90, and 96 work for the ribbing.

  I'm also questioning the gauge on the band.  The ball band says I should be getting 19.5 stitches per 4 inches with size 8 needles.  In the colored yarn sections I am getting only 17 stitches and I'm up to 18.5 in the plain white section.  I have no idea what I'm getting in the sparkle yarn sections.

  It's always fun to match your nails to your project.  The hat is mostly finished, and it is a hat.  I'm not the happiest with how it came out.  I didn't stick to the pattern because when I tried to, I ended up with a one-inch gap at the top.  I took out one more plain row and did a row of k2togs and then a plain row.  I repeated that until I was almost out of yarn and used my small tail to cinch it closed.  I'll get a picture of it once it is done blocking and has the pom-pom on top.

  I started the crochet pattern and ran into problems straight away.  We will ignore that I won't like how gathered the top is.

  This one started with the novelty yarn too, even though the picture showed me otherwise.  I chained around a knitting needle so I could find the chains and I had hoped that the single crochets would stand out enough for me to see them.  They did not, all I see is a fluffy strip.  I think all three of these will have to be knitted since I do not have the skill to crochet them.  I have seen pictures of other people's projects where they did it in crochet, so it can be done.

  The pattern tells me to work in half double crochets after the brim and I wanted to see if people just worked into the top in the front two strands, or something else.  I did find a link to the pattern, and it seems they have a newer version out.  They took off the largest size but didn't change the gauge.  From the pictures on the website it looks like I'm either working with too tight of a gauge or there is a chain one that they didn't include in the pattern.

  The knitted hat was similar in that the newer version knocked off the largest size, but they also have a new gauge listed and changed a bunch of the cast on numbers.  Both still have the super gathered crown I don't like.  The changes don't account for the yarn variations, so I don't know if I will even be able to get the new gauge on the thicker ones.

• Jazzy Knit Hat Pattern (PDF)

• Jazzy Crochet Hat Pattern (PDF)

  While it's nice to know that I'm not the only one having problems, I feel like they should have had it all tested more to avoid having to keep changing the pattern.  Right now they are on version four of each craft.

I Got Distracted From My Plan...

Pattern: Lucky Bamboo Hat - Yarn: Red Heart Soft in Icy Pond - Needles: US 8

   Look, another hat done!  I wasn't sure I would have enough yarn because I've run short before when I thought I would have enough.  The variegation makes it a bit harder to see the pattern, but now we know that.  The yarn might have been better as a Slippy Hat, but it's too late now.

  My plan had been to work on a Woven Lattice Hat next, but the new chaining method I saw on Instagram has been stuck in my head.  It gives it more substance and would also make it easier to work into the back loop when needed.  You just need to put a twisted loop onto the hook and then pull the working yarn through both loops on the hook.

  As I was chaining I saw that there was another loop of yarn and that is made with the backwards loop.  When I held it up, I saw that it pushed the V part of the chain forward.  That was the part of the Crochet Showtime Hat pattern that I was still trying to figure out how to "fix" from the last time I made the hat.

  It took a bit of getting used to, but it's doing what I want it to.  Next time I would go into the center of the first chain to make there be less of a bump to hide.  Otherwise, it is looking pretty perfect.  You can also see my very expensive and professional looking row marker.  We'll see if the 10 extra stitches make a difference on the decreasing I tried last time.

Day 4 - Time to head home

  The leftovers were some good eats for the trip to the airport.  The bread was a bit soft after sitting in the bags in the fridge over two nights, but I still liked them. There was one sandwich that got brought onto the plane with us.  Bill wasn't sure security would let it through, but I wasn't worried.

  Not our plane, but a cool one Bill and I saw while waiting for ours.  Mark and Elena were also on the same flight as us on the way back, though we weren't sitting near each other.

  When we got to our seats there was a lady in mine, she apologized for not being able to count and moved back one row.  She told me that at least my seat had been sanitized.  I offered her my United alcohol wipe since she already used the one she was given.

  I'm a big fan of the Device Holder and now I'm wondering if the plane we were on to head out had them too.  I should have used Bill's phone for the picture, but I didn't think of it at the time.

  I decided to not change too many things at once with the hat pattern.  I didn't have a food scale with me, so I wasn't able to weigh the yarn I had left.  I chained 61 stitches in hopes that I would have enough yarn to make the whole hat.

  Just a few sunset pictures from the sky.  It was a shorter trip on the way back and I didn't get as many podcasts listened to.

  It was a tricky landing with the winds sustaining at 25mph and gusting to 36, but the pilot nailed it.  People even started applauding once we had all 3 wheels down.  A kid on the plane had a balloon T-Rex and it somehow serviced the trip!  I almost forgot my hoodie on the plane, but I remembered it before I got off.

  It was fairly icy at home, but we made it back okay.  Tank was very happy to see us, but he kept making sad sounds by the front door.  Bill and I were in the dining room making noise, so it's not like we were hiding.  He's silly like that.  Time to get unpacked and to bed before I have to be ready in the morning for work.