The Oyster Race

So, what is an Oyster Race you are probably wondering?  It is an urban adventure race.  You can see more about it here, http://oysterracingseries.com/.

This past Saturday, myself, my sister, her fiance, and our cousin competed in the full Oyster Race (you can do a half and a sprint too).  Originally it was supposed to be my boyfriend, but he couldn't get off work so our cousin stepped in.  My cousin is in awesome shape and we kept teasing him that he'd have to slow down for us!

The race has "Passports" that have our clues on it for what we need to do and where we need to go.  The race started with the annoucer saying that our first passport was on the other side of the parking lot and go!

The first passport stated that on foot we needed to get pictures in front of various items or collect various items.  We had to do 4 out the following 6:  

• a picture of your team on a bridge (Pittsburgh has 3 rivers so we have a lot of bridges, only outdone by Venice I believe)

• a picture of your team in front of a Primanti Bros restaurant (a Pittsburgh restaurant, there are a bunch in different parts of the city)

• Three coasters from three different bars (would have been a good one if the race didn't start at 8 am! none were open)
• Picture of 3 hands touching a baseball homeplate (thankfully there was a little league field next to the bridge we used, we were terrified they wouldn't take it because there wasn't an actual homeplate, but that did!)

• Picture of someone in a Red Sox Jersey (the Boston Red Sox were in town that weekend playing the Pirates, but again, the race started at 8am and nobody was out)
• $1 in Canadian money (Nobody had any, no bank was open yet)
• Picture of your team in front of a fire engine or fire station (the fireman said the picture didn't take, so I was walking up to help him with the phone we were using as camera, but it took!  We didn't need a good picture, just a picture!)



The first passport was really the only one we had pictures.  We had a bunch of biking passports where we had to go to places like the Incline (Pittsburgh landmark), the aviary, PNC Park (baseball stadium), kayaking place, University of Pittsburgh campus, etc.

I calculated everything out on Google Maps using one of their labs creations and we ended up biking 22 miles, and doing on foot a little over 6 miles.  We finished the race in 5 hrs and 23 minutes.

Here's all of our finished passports (final one in green):

For completing the race we all got cow bells and a free beer chip :-)  It says, "I cracked the Oyster!"

Overall, I had a blast.  I felt like I could have biked forever minus a sore butt, but the running killed me even though I'm a soccer player.  Pittsburgh has a lot of steep hills!!

I think I'm finally not sore anymore!  I love things like this far more than regular 5k/10k races.

Have you ever done any crazy races? mud runs?

Sam :-D





My First Pattern

Okay everyone, the title says it all!  I've created my first pattern!  Its a little one, but that's okay.  I got the idea when I was working on my granny stripe blanket.

So here it is, my Granny Stripe Cup Sleeve! 

So, you want to know how I did it?  Well, even if you don't want to know, I'm telling you. :-)

I used Lily Sugar n Cream cotton yarn, worsted weight (colors Vivid Orchid and Leaf) and an I hook (5.5mm I believe).

• Using color A (Vivid Orchid) I chained 30 and joined to the first chain with a slip stitch.  (make sure you don't twist the chain)
• Row 1 - Chain 1 and do a sc in the same stitch and every stitch around (30 sts)
• Row 2 - Chain 3 (counts as one dc) and do two more dcs in the same stitch, then *skip 2 stitches and do 3 dcs in the next stitch* repeat from * until you reach the end (10 clusters) and join with a slip stitch into 3rd chain of beginning chain 3.
• Row 3 - slip stitch into the next two stitches and the space between the clusters, then chain 3 and do 2 dcs in the same space between the clusters, then do *3 dcs in next space between clusters*  repeat between * until you get to the end and slip stitch into the 3rd chain of the chain 3 (10 clusters) fasten off yarn
• Row 4 - Attach color B (Leaf) to any space between clusters of Row 3.  Chain 3 and do 2 dcs in the same space, then do *3 dcs in the next space between clusters*   repeat between * until end then join with slip stitch to the 3rd chain of chain 3 at the beginning of row
• Row 5 - Repeat row 3
• Row 6 - Repeat row 4 with color A
• Row 7 - Repeat row 3, but do not fasten off yarn
• Row 8 - chain 1 and sc all the way around and join to first sc with a slip stitch (30 sts) fasten off and weave in ends and Enjoy!

It was such a small project, but I was so excited because I was just making something I saw in my head.  Similar things could be out there, but I couldn't find exactly what I wanted. 

Originally I did want to add a flower, but any flower I made didn't look right with it.

What do you think?  How'd I do?  Let me know if anything needs to be clarified or if you find any typos.

Sam :-)

Danielle's Wedding Shower

Danielle is a really good friend of mine.  We met when we were going to college at the University of Pittsburgh.  Our senior year, we got an off campus apartment together.  We had a blast.

This weekend was her wedding shower in Philadelphia and I am a bridesmaid.  It was a garden tea party theme.  This was the house where it was held and I'm kicking myself for not getting pictures of the gardens in the back yard (beautiful!).



We had fresh cut flowers in teapots as the center pieces.

One of which had my tea cosy that I had to do blindly.

The mini projects I have been doing recently were given away as prizes.  These two baskets were bigger prizes:

These were given away as mini gifts.

Super Secret afghan was a present to Danielle from me.  I didn't know if she knew I had started a blog (she does now) so I didn't want to say it was for her.



Sorry for the poor picture quality.

I think her face says it all, but.....She loved it!! YAY!!!

I was so happy to make that blanket for her and all of the items for the shower.  I would have made more if I could!

It was a great and long weekend and I had a blast!!!!  I was so happy I could see and spend time with Danielle...I miss you!!

<3 Sam

ps. Sorry for such a long post and a ton of pictures :-)

Water Bottle Cosies Aplenty

There is a reason why I have been making all of these little projects.  It will all be told in due time I promise!!  For now though here are all of the Water Bottle Cosies:

The green one was first and I showed that to you in an eariler post, here.  I did end up removing two rows.

This pink one here was second.  I don't know what the name of the color because this yarn was part of the cotton stash my grandmother gave me and it didn't have the band.

The blue one was next and this is the same blue that I used in my Daisy Teapot Cosy, then again in the matching potholders.  I was really nervous that I wouldn't have enough left.  Thankfully it was a "supersize" skein of Lily Sugar n Cream.  Instead of their normal 2.5 oz it was a 4 oz skein.  I think I have about 10 inches left of that yarn.

Yellow is also the yarn from my daisy projects.

 

White, again from my daisy projects.

Here is all of them together.  Again, for most of the pattern I used this pattern, Girls Water Bottle Holder, but for the top part I used, Twenty First Century Canteen.  I got the carabiners from Harbor Freight Tools for $0.79 a piece!!!  That's because they are the cheap keychain kind, but that's all I need them to be.  They all the colors I show, blue, pink, green, and silver.

Also, I figured I'd show everybody how my bunting from Jennifer looks at me desk at work.  Please don't look at the clutter, I swear its stuff I'm currently working on and not junk! ;-) 

So, there's my little snippet of the corporate world.....

Sam :-D

I Received My Swap Present!!

Today I had a extremely busy and stressful day at work.  The day felt like it would never end!  When I got home, what do I find?!  My swap present!

A big squishy present!

All of the goodies were wrapped so prettily!!!

First I opened:

Its a towel with Scottish words on it!!  Makes me thing that I should have gotten Jennifer a t-shirt from the strip district with Pittsburghese on it (Pittsburgh slang).

Also in that package was this little guy:

Next I opened:




My picture is a little off center, not sure how that happened....

I already called my mom and we are going to have a baking weekend!!

Next I opened my yarn:

NORO!!!!!!!  I have drooled over it, but never bought it!  The colors are so me too!!!!!!  So exciting!

Next is a picture of everything and showing off my handmade item:

My handmade item is going up in my cubicle at work!!  It needs some crochet and color!

What do you think of everything?!  I LOVE IT!!!  Jennifer got everything that is so me.

Thanks so much Jennifer!!!

Sam<3

I don't want my holiday weekend to be over....

Monday was Memorial Day and I took vacation days off around it.  All in all I had off from Thursday to Tuesday.  Today is my first day back to work. (think of how Eeyore might say that statement)

This weekend was nice, super hot (in the 90's), but nice.  I spent some time with each of my Grandmas, one on Thursday, one on Friday, hung out with my parents a bit on Saturday, just relaxed on Sunday, and then had my parents and my sister and her fiance over for a cookout on Monday.

On Tuesday, I spent some time with my 5yr old cousin.  My other cousin that is my age, and I took her to Pizza Hut.  We we got there, we noticed something funny that she did.

She was wearing two different shoes.  On the plus side, she does have on a left and a right.  While we were laughing, we asked her why she had on two different ones and she just said she couldn't find the other ones.  Simple as that!

I got a few mini projects done on my long weekend.  I honestly don't know how I even squeezed these in.  First up is the cosy I made for the metal water bottle.

It matches the other cosies I made:

They are officially a set!  The pattern used on the water bottle is Crochet Coffee Cosy 2.  I used two strands of Impeccable color Tradewind.  I love the buttons actually.  I got them in an assorted bag at Joann's.

Next up was another tea cosy.  Soon, I promise I'll be able to explain what all these mini projects are for.  Note that this is not the teapot that this cosy is supposed to be on.  I had to make this cosy blind.  Someone else has the teapot.  I thought that choosing a pattern that uses drawstrings would be good.

I actually goofed on this pattern.  I did it in US terms when it was actually written in UK terms.  I still like how it turned out though and I'm loving the colors.  The pattern is Cosy Tea Belly.

Next I made some pot holders to match my Daisy Teapot Cosy. 

The pattern isn't on http://www.ravelry.com/ but it is on the Lily Sugar n Cream website here Daisy Pot Holders.  You do need to have an account to look at their patterns, but it is free.  They also have place settings, hanging towel toppers, and an apron, that all match this daisy pattern.

What do you think of everything?

Did you have a good weekend?  Do anything fun?

Sam :-)