I run a fun little co-op in the Township app with other amazing players.
We speak English.
Regatta: Our general guidelines are … 600 points (minimum) per regatta or opt out. 2 zeroes and we release (kicked out sounds so harsh) the player to find a co-op better suited to their play style. New players who join, don’t opt out of the regatta and don’t do any tasks are released after their first zero. Players who return after being released only get one shot to stay. Illness or other sudden act of life grants passes – but we need to know. We use chat heavily. We don’t require that you do a specific number of tasks – just reach a minimum of 600 points. If you have problems getting to 600 we are all here to help. We use the 3 Musketeers philosophy – all for one and one for all. When we work together we all succeed!
Help or don’t help – the reward are the clovers and the thank yous – it’s nice but we don’t require it like other co-ops.
Regatta: since we all pull from the same board and the same tasks we ask players not to delete just because you don’t like a task. We delete any task under 130 points unless it is reserved. If someone calls a task in chat (and they have a task reserved) we try to honor that. We plan ahead. We ask that you at least read the chat to know who has planted rubber trees, or started ice cream or sent for bananas (as examples) so you don’t delete or take that task. We ask that players don’t randomly delete without reading chat. If a task hasn’t been reserved it is free to take.
Once we see that you are playing and staying we will promote you to Elder. This means you can delete regatta tasks, send join request to your friends, accept new members, send notes through the co-op player list. If you cause a problem such as deleting task in the regatta, you will get demoted until we get on the same page. There are a handful of co-leaders. They are the folks that have been with me the longest and have my full confidence for running things.
Everyone has the same voice in the co-op and is free to help direct us. The only thing I do without asking for members thoughts is releasing players who don’t follow our regatta guidelines. All suggestions are taken seriously. This is as much your co-op as mine.
We understand this is just a game and people play to have fun a relax. Hence these are guidelines … not rules.
We do have 1 rule: Be nice and be respectful. We have players from all over the world and of various ages. Anyone who is aggressive or disagreeable with be sent packing immediately. We don’t talk politics (because it is irrelevant to the game) or religion (except to get a better understanding of the practices and always with respect (lack of respect will get you booted immediately)). If you have an issue with one of our members and want to talk in private you can contact me through email at Taciej at yahoo.com (just replace the at with @ and take out all the spaces).
This is a spreadsheet I’ve done once we grew past the first couple of members.
I love my spreadsheets! I’ve done both an excel spreadsheet and a pdf for those that can’t open excel.
Here are the most recent results…..
(Come on baby, do the locomotion)
Yarn: Not much worsted (medium (4)) Red, White & Blue. I used Caron Simply Soft Solids Blue Mint, Red Heart Classic Solid White & Red Heart Classic Solid Jockey Red
Needles & Hooks: US 7 Double Pointed Knitting Needles
4.5 MM (US 7 or G or H) Crochet Hook
Notions: Tapestry needle
Gauge: Not important at all (my kind of project!)
Need to Know Knitting: Casting on, Knitting in the round, Increasing, adding a color, and how to chain in Crochet!
Abbreviations:
kfb = knit into front and back of stitch (increase)
k = knit
I was completely inspired by Catina Anderson’s crocheted version. But that is crochet and I suck at crochet. Don’t get me wrong – did try and mine where nowhere as cute as hers. So with that in mind off I went into design mode to make a knit version. This write up is completely almost finished. If you have any questions, please just leave me a comment below. (You will have to sign up so that I know you aren’t a spambot – sorry.) A downloadable pdf is available through ravelry (without the pictures) (Ravelry Download)
There are 2 versions …. a fatter version and a thinner version. The pictures below are mostly of the fatter version but it really doesn’t make a difference (I was just noting it in case someone wondered). All images are clickable to make them larger.
Let’s knit!
With Red – Cast on 4 stitches (we are starting at the crown of the hat). Leave at least a 6 inch tail.
Row 1: kfb all stitches (8 total)
Row 2: Fatter: *K, kfb* (repeat 3 times) (12 total stitches)
Row 2: Thinner: Knit (8 total stitches)
Now is a good time to stop and redistribute your stitches so that you have 4 per needle (or 3 ish for the thinner). OR if you don’t mind have a whole bunch on needle … press on!
Row 3: K
Row 4: K
I added a marker at this point so I know where my beginning is at a quick glance.
Row 5: K We will be adding the white for the next row. Do NOT Cut the RED!!!
Row 6: In white K
I knit the tail into the 2nd and 3rd stitch so I don’t have to weave it in later.
Row 7: K
Don’t forget stitches 2 and 3 will be double strands.
Row 8: K We will switching back to the red for the next row. Do NOT Cut the WHITE!!!
Side note: Try to keep the gap between needles as tight as possible. Especially when going from row to row. Below is a little big and should be tightened up.
Row 9: In red K
Row 10: K
Row 11: K
Row 12: K We will be switching back to the white for the next row. Do NOT Cut the RED!!!
Row 13: In white K
Row 14: K
Row 15: K We will switching back to the red for the next row. Do NOT Cut the WHITE!!!
Row 16: In red K
Row 17: K
Row 18: K
Row 19: K We will be switching back to the white for the next row. Do NOT Cut the RED!!!
Row 20: In white kfb.
BO and join the white to make a nice round brim. (Pick up the first bound off stitch and slip the last bound off stitch over the picked up stitch.)
Cut the white and red. Leave a long enough red tail to sew up the bottom of the hat. Weave in the white end.
Pull on the original cast on tail to bend the hat slightly to one side and tie to the other red tail tightly against the hat. I tried to get mine to bend on the color jog. Tuck the original tail up into the hat (no need to cut or weave it in – yay!).
Sew up the bottom of the hat with the longer red tail.
Weaving in (tying off your choice) the end and pull it up through the hat and cut.
And the hat is off needles!
Now for the blue. With the blue & the crochet hook pick up a bit of the red where you sewed up the bottom.
Chain between 40 & 50. Mine is 45. If you are going to give it with one the Seuss books I’d go 50. Do note end – leave the last chain open and nice & big (it is going to hold the tassel) with a long tail and cut the yarn.
Cut 2 8” pieces of all 3 colors.
Slip them through the last chain and tighten the loop.
Tie off the tail. I created a more tassley look by wrapping the blue tail around the tassle part and tying it off. And leaving the now tied off tail so there are 5 blue strands in the tassle.
Trim the tassel.
Tie off the blue at the hat and weave it through the hat and cut it off.
And TAH-DAH! We have a bookmark.
Happy Thursday!
Today was the a follow up doctor’s … Now that I think about it … I don’t think I’ve ever seen that movie. Sorry… off topic (again).
Today was the a follow up doctor’s appointment. And we had some good news, some not so good news and some “get out your video camera people” news.
The Good: Me! I am healing nicely and I was told I am being a good patient! How about that? I am trying to be positive and do as the Doctors say. David looked at the x-rays and said the Mona Lisa doesn’t look any better than they do. I think he’s exaggerating just a bit. The PA is pleased with my progress and the shattered bone is knitting (of course my bones knit!) back together. Also my night brace was approved (I’ve only been wearing it for 2 weeks) as long as I don’t try to walk in it. Girl Scouts Honor – it’s only for sleeping aaaaaannnnd maybe lounging about the house. No weight bearing.
The Bad: I’m just over half way into this. I have at least 4 more weeks of scootering about. But I can start to put weight on my foot 25% for 2 weeks graduating up to 50% – as long as it is in the boot. Then in 4 weeks another round of x-ray’s and assuming all is healing as it currently is then we begin physical therapy. So I’m looking at probably 6 to 8 more weeks of scooter & boot. The doctors are being very conservative and this seems to be taking forever because of the shattered bone.
The Ugly: Me on crutches! Ok maybe not ugly, but giraffe on roller skates does come to mind. I need to be slightly more car friendly on 4/26 (the PA Primary Election) so I got crutches today. I will need a lot of practice between now and then. Get out your video cameras … this might just go viral.
And finally surgery to remove the pin. PA Cutie Pie called the pin by its technical name. Yeah, ummm the big pin is what we will call it. That’s a good news type thing. It has to be in place 12 weeks. Ok we are 11 weeks from when the placed it in my person. Only one more week and it can come out. Which isn’t really convenient time wise for me. No problem, it can stay in until after I can walk again. As a matter of fact some doctors never remove the pins unless they break. Ummm, break? Isn’t that what started this whole mess – a break? Thank God that’s not the philosophy of this office – they like to remove the pins while they are still intact. I like that too.
So that’s the news from Lake Woebeme. It’s not all great, but it’s all good and I am moving forward. So watch out for your toes!
Hugs!
I realized that in my tale telling last week the entirety of David’s (My Beloved, My Darling) involvement was reduced to … “So off the ER David & I go.” and everyone else got thank you’s. For those of you who are completely lost as to why I was off to the ER, e-mail me and I’ll catch you up.
“So off the ER David & I go.” One little sentence involved so much more – such as picking me up off the floor and hopping me 20 feet across the front yard. Did I mention the front yard slops uphill? On a normal day hopping 20 feet across the front yard would be challenging. That was not a good day. He was with me most of day in the hospital – only leaving when the staff kicked him out of the room.
He’s the one who kicked me out of the house – which is a good thing because stair and I aren’t on friendly terms yet. (ok… kicked is harsh, suggested in very strong terms I should stay with mom until I can walk) He’s my cheerleader. He’s been silly on the days that I need silly. He’s my rock. He’s driven all over Chester & Lancaster counties for me. And not least of all … he’s in charge of the cats until I can get home to help.
“So off the ER David & I go.” I almost completely neglected him. He is a most wonderful and caring husband and I am very blessed that his is mine.
This time next week I will have the answer to the question… “What’s up Doc?”
Happy Thursday Everyone.
Or it would be if the Doctor & the PA (BOTH) were out of the office with the flu. So … wait, what do you mean what’s going on?
Ok. Let’s step back (*giggles* – it’ll be funny in bit) from the beginning for those who don’t know what’s going on. For those of you who do and don’t want to hear (read) the story again, just jump on down to the last bit. For those who are new to the story … ready?
I was in a bar brawl. Yup. Broke 2 bones in my left ankle, shattered a 3rd and tore some ligaments. Something about a high tear… What do you mean “you don’t think so”? I did I broke my … oh you mean the bar brawl. Well, it sound so much more exciting than I was doing my laundry and fell down the last 2 steps.
On 1/12 at 8:09 am as I was leaving for work I was taking the laundry to the basement. The sheets I was carrying wrapped around my feet and down I went. And surprisingly not one cat was involved. So off the ER David & I go. Several hours and surgery later I was the proud owner of a plate, many permanent screws, 1 temporary screw and a nice temporary cast. I tried crutches while I was in the hospital – think giraffe on roller skates – so they sent me home with a walker. Yeah. I don’t feel like 100 years old now! 9 days after that a very nice young lady removed the temporary cast and put me in a very pretty purple non-weight baring fiber glass cast. Which surprisingly & thankfully didn’t itch too much. And shortly after that one of the BEST bosses in the entire world loan me her knee scooter (she broke her leg a year early) so I could get from point a (the bed) to point b (the potty) without drama, exhaustion and braking another body part. It also opened up the entirety of mom’s house. Oh, I didn’t mention that part. Yeah, I’m rehabbing at mom’s in New Holland because her house is really designed for old people.
4 weeks later – obviously I was healing according to plan because the same very nice young lady (don’t ask me her name even though she’s told me, I forget) moved me into a walking cast (or boot). Still non-weight baring BUT I released me to drive and go back to work. My drive went from 25 minutes to about an hour which kinda stinks. But the food is sooooooooooo much better!!! Mom lives 10 minutes from Shady Maple (oh yeah!) Oh Right, there are those of you who are wondering why I’m excited about a tree. Shady Maple is a smorgasbord with very good food, not a tree.
I have been so fortunate! I really work for and with an awesome group of people who have been wonderfully supportive. And Mom. Where would I be without her! She has been just amazing!
Stepping back to today [insert rim shot here]. I was supposed to go for x-ray’s and then I guess setting a date for removing the temporary pin that is holding the ligaments together. But PA Cutie Pie and Dr. Very Handsome have the flu. (Ok so that’s not exactly their real names… you’ll forgive me if I don’t bother checking out that part.) Did I mention that they didn’t call the right number? No? They didn’t. We just won’t know for 2 weeks now whether or not the ligaments have healed correctly.
We could do a soap opera style thing here. (said in best dramatic voice) Have her ligaments healed? Are the bones strong enough to support her weight? Will the Doctor or the PA be well enough to read the x-ray? Tune in to find out on the next dramatic episode of “On Crazy Cat Farms”. Or something like that.
So thanks for the read along. I’ll send everyone an update (MUCH SHORTER update) in 2 weeks.