Season's...Goals!

I don't often set goals, so when I do, I usually try to make them fun. Maybe not as fun as a 6th birthday party, 

but still pretty fun!

This summer I set a goal to get out to Cedar Point 30 times this season...which I probably wouldn't share if I wasn't really close to making it! I stopped by after work on Thursday, and it was visit #28... just 2 more to my goal! 

I ride with family, and I ride with friends, but many of those trips to the park have been by myself...which gives me the chance to meet new friends, and occasionally get adopted into new families. 

On Thursday, while waiting in line for Millenium Force, I struck up a conversation with a lovely young man, amd we chatted while watching the ride operators move the yellowish train off the track "for maintenance."

We talked long enough, that I finally said, "By the way, I'm Pam."

"I'm Allen," he replied, and we shook hands. 

"My son's name is Allen!," I said, and remarked that his mother had named him well! 

"No way! What's his middle name?"

Spoiler alert: the middle names match, too, which is quite the coincidence...so we took that as a sign that we should ride this train together, and we did! 

So what do you you think? Could be my son? 

They're nearly twins! 

Or not. Lolz...

Thank you, Random-Allen-at-Cedar-Point, for contributing to the fun of my Thursday this week! Now, back to the knitting, 

and only 2 visits left to make my goal! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Update to a Beloved Dishcloth Pattern

Well, I'm not sure how beloved this pattern is, but many do like it. 

I mean, it is one of 11 designs from an obscure designer, PJ Allen. 

Wait, who is PJ Allen? Oh, right, I remember. That's me. Back in the day, when I started designing patterns (all of them are free, BTW), I thought I'd like to have some anonymity for my family...you know, in case I got famous. 

<crickets>

Yes, I know. Silly. Hopeful, but silly.

<more crickets>

But look how many projects are listed, using my dishcloth pattern!:

Six-thousand sixty-three projects, and 10,740 have marked the pattern as a favorite! Wow! It was even on Ravelry as a "Hot Right Now" pattern a couple of times when groups were using it for charity and contest knitting, and several people have asked permission to print or share links to the pattern while teaching knitting! I am, to say the least, flattered. Not famous, but flattered just the same. 🤗 

In comparison, an actually famous pattern might have 30,000-50,000 projects, which is 5 times as many as my favorites and nearly 8 times as many as my projects. The pattern designer's names would be known by most knitters, and I cannot imagine how many queues would contain it. (Gramma's Dishcloth is currently in ## queues.) Still, I heard from a knitter that is planning to use my pattern in a charity kit. She was talking to someone in her local knitting shop who suggested MY PATTERN 🥳, and that's a win for me!

So, today I changed my name on this one pattern, and now people might know who I am. A knitting evangelist from northeast Ohio who often plays with yarn and occasionally writes down something that works. Hi! I'm Pam, and I am happy to know you!

<A hand raises slowly, in the back...>

Pam? I'm not on Ravelry...how do I get your pattern?

Great question, and one I have definitely thought about! Here is how: Click one of these links!

Gramma's Dishcloth (English 2026)

Gramma's Dishcloth (Spanish 2026)

Knit 'em up, show 'em off and give 'em away at will! (Or keep them for your own kitchen or bath. They are lovely in both places!) Or don't. Knitting is all up to you, really. I'll still like you just the same if you stopped reading several paragraphs ago. 😉

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit [maybe dishcloths?] in Good Health!

Color Chat Theory

AI may be getting smart, but it isn't good at choosing colors for knitting patterns. See Exhibit A:

Full disclosure: that photo was created with AI. My girlfriend texted me about color choices for a pattern she and I were both planning to knit, and these are choices Chat GPT offered. I am not sure of the prompt Diana used, but I thought that "Rich Bohemian" looked like a lovely set of yarns that I could get fairly easily, and I took Mr GPT at his word..."Order me a set!," I said to Diana. This is what I got:

Do they go together? Yes, definitely. Are they "Rich Bohemian"? Ummm, no. They are "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!," and so is the resulting balaclava (Chill Guard, by Marly Bird) Another full disclosure: the stitch pattern is listed as mosaic, and it may be...I have not done a lot of mosaic knitting. However, if I had written this pattern, I would call it a slip stitch pattern, not mosaic. 

My Color Chat Theory? Chat GPT picked nice colors, but they didn't match even Knit Picks photos of the colorways Diana and I both bought last week. So not a fail (the resulting cowl/hat looks great), but not necessarily a good combo for the Christmas, teacher knit I was planning either. (Full disclosure: I'm still going to give it to the teacher, and I am pretty sure she will love it...maybe I'll give it to her early?) As for future plans and color theory, I think I'll stick to my own senses. Like I do with roller coasters! By the way, meet my favorite:

I may still be bad at selfies...but Top Thrill 2 is top of the line for speed, thrills and pure adrenaline! I got to ride it three times last night, plus a couple of its buddies, before I finally came home! 

My butt is still dragging today, and I may just visit the Land of Nod for a bit after I post this...but I'm glad I had the chance to stop in and say my Saturday "Helllo!" to all of you...Hello!, and what are YOU knitting these days?

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

My Favorite Letter?

I was going to title this post "The Letter F...," but a quick search told me that I've used that exact title before. More than once. So I clearly like the letter F, but is it my favorite? Well, naybe...

Even though there are some f-words I really don't fancy, F can also stand for family fun, including Halloweekends

and futbol (soccer in the US) with the boys!

F is for fall foliage,

flamboyant, face-adjacent projects,

projects that are finally finished,

and F is even for...

Yep, a little pink bird taking (almost) center stage on the coffee-table-scape this morning! Hello Flamingo! Perhaps F is my favorite letter!!! Who'd have guessed? 

Today's blog post is (apparently) brought to you by the letter F!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Autumn, Here We Are

Strange. Just a couple weeks ago, it still seemed summery. We picked apples in the full sun while temps topped 80° F,

but it was September, so we know that cooler temps would bring all the flag football,

earlier sunsets, feeding fish (and giant turtles) in the pond 

and the start of Halloweekends. 

I'm heading to the park as I type today (in the passenger seat, I promise!)

for my second time this week! Looking forward to riding some of my favorite rides 

with some of my favorite people! 

Tomorrow, I'll yarn, so I can finish birthday blanket number two!,

and maybe I'll even get in a little nap...what? Lol! I hope you're finding your fall fun, and maybe a little rest along the way too.

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!