Hat and a pattern too

I started working on this hat last Friday while avoiding traffic at a coffee shop. I was using what I thought was a perfectly good pattern. Steven and I headed over to play games, and I continued knitting. Obviously paying slightly less attention. I screwed up. I ripped it back to the ribbing rather than figure out how. I screwed up again. In the same spot. Thinking there might be an issue with the pattern, I put it away.

A few days later I got back to it. There were two versions of the pattern. But, that didn't answer my problem, they were still logically equivalent. The hat itself is a basic stitch, so I started googling to see how it was written elsewhere. I found another pattern for almost an identical hat. This pattern was overly verbose, but seemed to work. 

Then I got to the decreases. I have no idea what the second pattern was thinking. They made no sense and looked terrible. It was like they were almost done and just abandoned the pattern. I went back to the first pattern. Those decreases made a little more sense, but there were more errors. I just did my own thing instead. 

So this is what I ended up with. I wrote what I did in a new pattern. I have no idea what the legal rules are for fixing two broken patterns into a workable pattern. Both of the originals were free, and I'm not selling this one. But, it is a known pattern stitch away, so nothing was really unique to begin with. 

Download Pattern

A hike with two hats.

I've been trying to do one hike a weekend. It being one of the few low impact exercises that I like doing, and also to see if I can get in decent enough shape for a 4 day hike to Machu Picchu at the beginning of September. 

We were planning on doing something easy and local. Then Wednesday I was convinced to have a beach bonfire weekend in two weeks. This seemed like a perfect time to try spinning fire. So of course I needed to go get fire poi. Two weeks was just shy of the shipping time for the slightly cheaper online store I like, so a trip to Santa Cruz seemed like best way. We were going to hike near there afterwards. 

I forgot I had signed up for a night photography hike at Russian Ridge. I had been on the waitlist. Friday afternoon I got an email saying we were off the waitlist. Originally we planned to still do all the things. Getting to bed at 4 am the night before messed that up a little. I got the poi and we made it to the hike, and that's it. 

We took some close up pictures of flowers. Since we had my mother's camera it seemed obligatory to take some.

This is actually a very small flower. It only looks huge here.

I was told this was a violet. Not sure I believe them, since it's yellow.

A few scenery (and me in scenery) pictures. It was really a beautiful place to hike, the camera didn't capture it as well as I would have liked.

The purpose of this hike was night photography. We walked out a little over two miles for a good spot to take sunset photos, and set up to watch the sunset. We got an inexpensive tripod for the occasion. Somehow we have managed not to have one. I guess we don't stand still long enough to bother.

The walk back was slow. Despite this not being the invertebrate night hike we did a few weeks ago we still had to stop and look at every bug. I didn't feel inclined to feign interest in bugs for this hike. Steven took a few pictures of them, but they are also of no interest to me.

I wish we could have walked back faster and spent more time at the end taking star pictures. We had maybe 20 min, maybe longer I'm bad at telling time.

Steven got a few interesting star shots, but it took so long to aim well and then for the camera to process the picture, that he could only focus one constellation.

Infrared mode on my mother's camera.

I think for the time being I am over night hikes, at least in the group settings I'm stuck with around here. Maybe I will go camping and then be allowed to go at my own pace, and not be stuck looking at bugs. 

A Hat

I got this from a friend. It was weird, and I wasn't planning to make a hat. Maybe a felted bowl, because it would have looked lumpy. When my doula came over for a home visit she saw the big ball of yarn among a big pile of balls of yarn and thought it was the most beautiful thing. She also liked all of my hats.

So big yarn that I don't know what to do with and someone who likes it and wants a hat. Easy decision. The yarn was so huge and oddly shaped all I did was knit it. It look about 2 hours. I actually really like how it turned out. The colors did interesting things. At first they were striping. Then they became sideways v chunks of color. Totally not planned.

Sunday Hiking

My night hike last weekend was mostly a success. I was hoping that a few minor adjustments from the 20% off REI sale would help with the next hike.

I finally got some hiking poles, generic rei brand name ones. Nothing super exciting, despite trying. I couldn't tell the difference between the double priced ones and the ones I ended up with. I also got a new water holding backpack. Osprey, not camelbak. It has lumbar support and a pacemaker disrupting magnet.

Here we are with our gear out in nature. I consider it over all a success. I didn't feel a constant need to sit down and rest, and my back wasn't killing me afterwards. I'm still in terrible shape after almost a year of no activity, but I made it about 2 miles (with breaks).

Despite California's drought the hike on Waterfall Loop did actually have waterfalls. I must come back here once we actually have rain.

A blurry beginning

Last night Steven and I went to The Table to celebrate his birthday. I had heard good things about their food. I can't remember who mentioned it to give anyone credit, but they were right. I didn't know it was rated, until Steven mentioned seeing the sign on the door. Good pick for the occasion. :)

I hadn't intend to have my first burger there. I had been planning to go to The Counter.  It sounded tasty, so I gave it a try. I had hoped to have a better picture of such a momentous occasion, but the lighting was bad and I was hungry, so this is what I ended up with. It came with "potato wedges" not fries. I guess that is what happens at a Michelin rated restaurant. I ate half the burger, and it seems to have been mostly a success.

It's orange.

My first impression of this book is basically that it is orange. The cover is a lovely light blue with a bright orange binding. The inside is orange. The pockets are orange (It is nice that it has pockets). The headline text is orange. I don't personally like orange. But, other than the orange I actually like this book.

My favorite thing is the pockets. There are 3; one for each trimester. There are suggestions of things that might end up in there, but it seems useful to have a designated place for some of the inevitable loose pieces of paper.

My second favorite thing is the lack of specific photo places. There are a few, but those are reasonable. As you grow bump pictures, the sonogram, and after the baby is born. Other pregnancy planner books I've seen have much more specific ones, pictures I wouldn't want to necessarily have.

I also like the checklists. There are all sorts of checklists. Checklists are fun because you feel like you've accomplished something, and if it is pre written it might be something you wouldn't have counted as an actual accomplishment on your own.

I think it is overall well designed. I will probably use this one I decide to get pregnant again. It has enough information that it seems useful, but not so much that it is filled with things you don't need taking up space. I also like the layout, but I really just wish it wasn't orange. 

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.