Dry

Speculative fiction has a long history of taking the issues of the day and reframing them in a new context with the hope that people will look at them in a new way. Our "unprecedented" times are bringing all sorts of old ways and old thinking back to the forefront. On Tuesdays, I present "what if?" questions. Previously, the intent was as an idea generator. It still is. But now, I ask that you really think about all the repercussions that these ideas will have. If only these were just thought exercises. 

What if we do completely run out of water?

Linear Growth in Crochet

Last week I was just getting started on the unicorn hat. (The pattern is here. I don't want to post pics from the pattern due to copyright concerns, so make sure to click on the link to get an idea what the finished hat will look like.) 

Since last week's post, I attached the ears, and I got started on the mane. And the mane... Well, it's a bit, um, long...

It turns out that I've never blogged before about the potato chip scarf (or if I have, I can't find it). It's an interesting technique that produces a spiral. It's the technique the pattern designer used to create the mane of the unicorn. 

The problem? Linear growth. It's what makes the thing spiral. 

For the mane, I chained 107 stitches. It's a lot, but not terrible. The next row, I had to double that. (214 stitches.) And then the next row again added 107 stitches, meaning by row 3, I was working 321 stitches. 

And then there were rows 4, 5, and 6 (428, 535, and 642 stitches). 

Row 1 barely took any time at all. Rows 4, 5, and 6 had to be done over multiple sittings. 

I debated doing the last row in the purple or changing out to a contrasting color. The decision was made for me when I was just about out of purple yarn by the end of row 6.

I like the edging on this. It makes the whole mane pop. But as you can see, after two (or three?) days working on it, I'm still not quite to the end.

After this, I think all I've got left is the horn. After the mane, that should be a snap.

At least the ears are done. 

I might be persuaded to make some of these for sale, if anyone is interested in commissioning one. (Although, I am expensive, so budget accordingly.) 

Which Foods Are Real?

I've got another random quiz for today. (I went to Sporcle and clicked on "random quiz".) And the first one to pop up was...

...something about starting pitchers in the MLB, and as I don't do sports at all, anything I got correct would have been a random guess. Trying again...

Which Foods Are Real? II

This one was kind of fun. There's a list of things that sound food-like, and the trick is to click on the actual edible dishes. 

I got 11/15 or 73%. That's pretty good considering that I only knew four of them. Five more I had a pretty good idea about, but I wasn't certain. Which means two were wild guesses. (Well, I made six wild guesses. Only two of them turned out to be right.)

And as a bonus, here's one of my favorites (but many of you don't like these): Kennections #20. Answer five questions. (I encourage you to cheat.) Then you have to figure out what they have in common. (Which I figured out this time, hence why I'm including it.) Enjoy.

At Home 13

I've been wanting to do this one for a while, but I've never quite gotten around to it before. I stepped out my front door with my cell phone, and I took pictures. 

The plan was to get pics of all the wildlife. Alas, that is not what happened. The turtles were not at their usual haunt (and when I got close enough to one in the water, it dove deeper). The Canadian geese seem to have left already. The butterflies would not alight anywhere, so I could not get a decent shot. The fish were too dark to see. And the ducks just wouldn't pose right for a good pic.

But, I was able to take pictures of the condo complex, and some of the critters cooperated. All of these pictures were taken on July 28, 2022. This is a Thursday 13. (It's a blog hop. Join us.)

1. The dragonflies were all over the place. This one alighted long enough to let me get this shot.

2. This bird has been around a lot lately. I was surprised it let me get this close, although when I tried to get closer, it made like it was going to fly off, so I turned around and left.

3. Once I realized I wasn't getting the wildlife shots I wanted, it was time to find some interesting plants and flowers.

4. I stopped here to get some pics of the fish. You can't see them, can you? So, I figured the lily pads were a nice shot instead.

5. This is near where the Canadian geese liked to hang out. It's blissfully empty now.

6. Another flower. I have no idea what kind.

7. I stopped here to catch a hummingbird that was feeding, but it was gone before I could get the shot. This looks like a good plant to feed from.

8. I was just walking along. This is the sidewalk we use.

9. Tree and plants. At this point it was just because the tree is interesting.

10. The water trickles around the whole complex. It's a peaceful sound.

11. Another tall plant.

12. This is just pretty.

13. And I totally lucked out. I had been seeking this bird all day, and it finally was there. It even stood still and let me get close. (I think it was asleep. Otherwise it probably would have flown off before I got even this close.)

A Week of TV

As I've been going through and trying to figure out what to talk about on my What to Watch Wednesday, I realized that of the things I'm watching, I've either already posted about it, or I'm not really keen on "recommending" it. So, I'm going to borrow Birgit's idea and just list the things I've been watching. 

These are all shows that I have seen an episode of in the last week. Links either go to the post I wrote about them or to their IMDb page. In no particular order:

The Durrells. I found this on Prime Video. I guess it was on Masterpiece Theater on PBS here. I'm half tempted to do a post on this, but the other half is kind of meh. 

The Orville. I started this when it was on FOX. I followed it to Hulu. It's been kind of hit or miss this season. The first couple episodes were meh, but then a couple after that reminded me why I started this show in the first place. I wish they'd lighten up on the music, though. (Man, whoever is in charge of scoring this show needs to back off.)

Westworld. Yikes. This season is... Yikes. I have this tendency to keep with shows that I started until they finish. Unless something makes it so I just can't anymore. Westworld is getting close to that line, but it hasn't quite reached it. Yet.

Evil. Don't let the name dissuade you. I wrote about this show when it was in season 1 and on CBS. It's now on season 3 on Paramount Plus, and it's one of the reasons I got the subscription. 

Motherland: Fort Salem. This is another one I wrote about during season 1 and it is now in season 3. This has been announced to be its last season, and I can see why. They're gearing up for a finale that's truly an ending. I see from my original post I wasn't a fan. It got better. A lot better.

Renovation Island. They just started airing season 4 on HGTV. I kind of thought they'd be done after season 3, but there are more renovations to do. I do really like seeing these projects from beginning to end. It's kind of like redoing something in your own home, but you don't have to live through the mess.

And I think that about covers it for the moment. I'm still looking for other shows to stream, as I'm getting to the point where I'll be completely caught up soon (probably by the time you read this). The other show that is back that I haven't mentioned is In the Dark. I haven't mentioned it because I gave it up this season. Probably. If I get bored enough...

Do you watch any of these shows? 

A Hot Planet

Speculative fiction has a long history of taking the issues of the day and reframing them in a new context with the hope that people will look at them in a new way. Our "unprecedented" times are bringing all sorts of old ways and old thinking back to the forefront. On Tuesdays, I present "what if?" questions. Previously, the intent was as an idea generator. It still is. But now, I ask that you really think about all the repercussions that these ideas will have. If only these were just thought exercises. 

What if the powers in charge never do anything about curbing pollution to reduce the effects of climate change?

The Big Tangle

As you know, I've been whining a lot lately about not having any yarny projects to work on. I finished niece's birthday gift. Then I did the Autonomy headscarf thing (for abortion rights). And in between I keep plugging away on the Calash scarf. 

Now (the time after summer school but before the new school year starts) is the time to really get some projects going so I have things to keep my hands busy in the evenings. And I finally started on something new.

The whys of this project take a bit of explaining. It's been in the planning stages for a while, but I haven't yet mentioned it on the blog.

Remember the octopus hats? I had started on them about this time last year (and I wrote all about them on the blog). I got a nice picture with the three nephews modeling them after Christmas. And I thought nothing more of it.

Then, my sister-in-law texted me. She wanted one, too. Could I make her one? Of course.

But, I got to thinking. She's not really an octopus type. I suggested that perhaps she would enjoy a different sort of hat. After going back and forth, she admitted that she wished that a unicorn hat existed. 

I knew there had to be one. It turned out there were several.

I took screenshots of the pictures from the various patterns. I sent them to her. She chose the one she liked best. 

And it turned out I was very familiar with the designer of that hat. Yup, it's the same designer that designed the octopus hat.

So, why didn't I start on SIL's hat right away? (We had this conversation back in April.) Because she wanted to pick out the yarn, and she was going to send it to me.

I waited. And I got busy with other things. SIL texted me at the beginning of June to ask if I had gotten the yarn. Nope. She realized that she had never ordered the yarn. She told me she'd get right on that.

Not last week but the week before, I was contemplating what to work on next. (Okay, so we're talking not quite the end of July. So, another month and a half since the last time SIL said she would send me the yarn she wanted.) And I knew that SIL was never going to send me the yarn. It was time to figure out how to start the hat.

Looking at SIL's color choices, I realized that I probably had the yarn already on hand. I did. So, I ordered the pattern and pulled out the yarn I'd need. 

I jumped right in.

Which... was kind of a mistake. 

I did not take pictures. I don't think the pictures would have done it justice.

Let's just say that I probably should have taken the time to rewind the clump of yarn into a nice ball to crochet from. I thought the yarn would come untangled as I crocheted. Nope. Starting the hat only made things worse. Sigh.

I started the project on a Thursday. It was Monday before I spent more time crocheting than I did untangling. 

But then the hat part took shape. 

It kind of looks like an old time football helmet with the ear flaps. But this is just the base on which the accessories go that make it look like a unicorn.

The next step is ears...

These get attached to the hat. I think the mane comes after that, but I'm not sure. (I find that reading the pattern doesn't make a lot of sense to me without yarn and hook in hand. If I do each instruction as I read it, things tend to work out.) 

I'm not using the top-of-the-line cushy expensive yarn for this. So, it's kind of a practice run. I'll keep you posted as I progress on the thing.