Flagel Knitting Files

You know how it goes, periodically you simply become so inspired by a pattern you have to stop everything and just make it up.   (OK, perhaps that's me and not you.) Well, that's what happen to me with regard to the apple and banana fruit cozies I recently crocheted.   An apple, pear and banana cozy smile!  The photo above caused me to stop and think about the fruit I bring to work each day.  There are days when my banana has to be eaten immediately upon arrival because it has been knocked around in my lunch bag with the rest of items causing it to be badly bruised.  These projects looked like very quick ones so I crocheted away.  And within a few hours this was my results:   My apple and banana cozies  Should you want to make your own click here  for the free patterns.  I used leftover varigated cotton yarn from previous projects; the author/designer, Kristen, used linen. (I prefer my changes in colour!) Plus the cotton cozies can be thrown in

I recently spent a lovely four-day weekend in Portland, Oregon with Lee and Brittni.  I love Portland, perhaps because it is so easy to get around using public transportation, or perhaps it is the great food and drink options, or perhaps it is because the city is dominated with a strong Germanic culture.  At any rate, as usual I had a wonderful trip to Portland and my hosts played no small part in that satisfaction. Lee and Brittni worked hard to show me a good time.  I arrived after taking an Amtrak train from Vancouver to Portland and then using Portland's light rail to get to their lovely downtown apartment.  We ate some great Thai and American classic food, I did a brewery tour and sampled my favorite sausage fondue.  I visited Brittni's work site, Adidas, where I purchased a new pair of tennis shoes/runners.  Lee and I saw the first ever all Somoan movie and Brittni and I were able to take in a lecture by Chris Rothko talking about life with his father, painter Mark Roth

There are so many different things one can do with yarn.  It is possible to knit, crochet, tat, braid, and more and one can make decorative, practical, wearable or interesting items with it.  As you know I tend to lean more toward the decorative or interesting end of the spectrum so I need to be cautious as I discuss the practice of yarn bombing.  It too leans in the decorative realm, but I'm not sure I get it.  (Dack, I can hear you chuckling at this last statement.  Yes, yes, I get the incongruousness.)   Yarn bombing is a great way to use up random stash and although I don't personally find it appealing, it does have the impact of changing nondescript public places into something more interesting. What is yarn bombing?   "A type of graffiti or street art that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted cloth, rather than paint or chalk. While yarn installations--called yarn bombs or knit bombs--may last for years, they are considered non-permanent, and, unlike g